He lives in you
by lizzieten
Summary: After a disagreement with his team, Naruto's secret is found out and he is humiliated with it. Not long after Itachi comes for Naruto, will he survive?
1. Chapter 1

He lives in you

Chapter one

The day started out like every other ordinary day, the sun rising high in the sky. One would think that absolutely nothing could go wrong. Naruto of course knew that they most likely would. You see he was the most hated person in the entire Konoha village. Deep inside Naruto housed the nine tailed fox. Several years ago the demon had attacked Konoha, and nearly destroyed it. The Forth Hokage had sacrificed his life and that of a newborn to seal the demon. Naruto was supposed to have been seen as a hero for keeping the village safe, instead he was looked at as if he was the actual demon. No one cared that he was an actual twelve year old boy who had feelings that could be hurt. As it was right now, Naruto was forced to live right outside the village gates. He couldn't read or write, no one had ever taken the time to help him. He was passed from class to class without actually being taught anything. Nobody ever wanted to teach the demon anything.

Naruto would lie at the base of a tree every single day and wonder at the day's cruelties. He wondered how the village could get by with doing what they were doing. He was like everyone else; he didn't understand why he was treated differently. He sighed and tried to ignore the aching in his stomach. He hadn't eaten again today. The venders refused to sell to him. He wondered if the Third Hokage knew what was going on. Naruto didn't think he did. How could he know what the villagers done to him on a daily basis and let them do it? How was it possible that the Hokage didn't care about the villagers he'd sworn to protect?

Naruto sighed and wrapped his arms around himself; he supposed he couldn't blame the Hokage for his current conditions. It wasn't the Hokage's fault that his landlord had kicked him out and refused to let him back in. Something had to change and soon, he couldn't spend the rest of his life living outside. At some point the weather would turn cold, he wouldn't be able to sleep outside then.

He closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep, it took a little while but he eventually drifted off to sleep.

_Two guys both fairly tall stood at the edge of the Konoha village. They were wearing black capes with red clouds all over it. Naruto stood at a small distance away, hidden up in a tree. If they looked up they would see him, but he was hoping they wouldn't. He didn't understand exactly why but he had a feeling these guys were dangerous and not to be messed with. _

_ He was close enough he could hear what they were saying and it confused him. _

_ "Naruto Uzumaki, the host of the nine tailed demon, resides within these walls. Our orders are to capture him alive and bring him to Master Pein for extraction." Naruto frowned whatever they were talking about didn't sound pleasant to him. He wondered what nine tailed demon they were talking about, and how was it possible that he was the host for it. Last he remembered he wasn't very well liked so he couldn't very be hosting anyone or anything. What did they mean by extraction? Naruto didn't understand anything he'd heard. Something told him he needed to run and get as far from Konoha as possible. He couldn't do that however, he owed it to the village to become a strong ninja because his dream was to become Hokage. He wasn't going to run because some other ninja's decided they wanted to extract something from him. Something told him it would mean his death if he was caught but still he couldn't force himself to run. Even when the two missing nin said they were planning to go after Naruto in only a matter of days. He waited until the two nin had gone before he dropped down from the tree he'd been hiding in. he knew he had to go and tell the Hokage what he'd heard but he wondered if the Hokage would believe him. he sensed that the Hokage was a good man, but he wondered if he'd be treated the way the villagers treated him; with contempt. He could only hope not. _

_ The scene changed and Naruto was standing at the village gates with tears in his eyes. He had been humiliated beyond words. Because of his pink haired teammate his whole team now knew just how illiterate he was. It had never been his fault that no one taught him anything, he'd tried to his best to learn, but it wasn't easy when you had no one to help. He could hear Sakura's voice ringing in his mind._

_ "At least Sasuke can read and write, he's stupid, and he actually has a place to live." The words brought a blush to Naruto's tear stained face. Now even his sensei knew his problems and that he was indeed homeless. He had never wanted his team to know that. He just wanted to become a strong ninja and protect those he'd come to love despite their hate. He only wanted to be loved. Was there something wrong with that? He was tired of being friendless and hated. Why couldn't anyone see that he was just like them, expect he'd hadn't had anyone who'd care whether or not he learned. Now that even his teammates knew he wasn't sure how he was supposed to face them again. Sighing, Naruto turned and looked out the village gates; he knew something his teammates didn't know. Missing Nin were coming for him, were in fact probably pretty close, and they were going to attack the village to get to him. He wondered if they would attack if he went with them willingly. Naruto knew that if he went with them it would probably mean the death of him. But he didn't want anything to happen to his village. They hated him but somehow after everything he was still able to love them and want them safe. A thought occurred to him, what did they want with him, if it was indeed true that he housed the nine tails demon what made Naruto think that after they extracted the demon that they wouldn't still attack the village anyways. He frowned. He couldn't go with them but at the same time neither could he stay where everyone knew that he was illiterate. It far too embarrassing, he wasn't even sure how he'd become a ninja, unless his sensei's had really just passed him to get him out of their class. That thought depressed Naruto even further. Would he ever find someone who truly cared for him? It certainly didn't seem like it. _

_ Groaning under his breath, Naruto turned and headed towards the bridge. He liked to sleep close to their so that he would always be on time for his team meetings. When he reached the place he'd preferred to sleep: right under one of the trees at the training ground. It went in a little clearing so you couldn't exactly see him if you were their training. Sitting down, Naruto scooted back so that his back was resting against the tree trunk. He lowered his head into his hands. He had no idea what he was supposed to be doing. He couldn't leave, giving those guys unimaginable power, but neither could he let his village be attacked. It was a problem he wasn't sure he could fix, not without becoming a missing Nin himself. Naruto closed his eyes as if to continue thinking about the problem, instead he found himself drifting off to sleep. _

_ He woke with a start when he felt rather than sensed that danger was near. Opening his eyes, he stared directly into Itachi Uchicha's eyes. _

_ "Well, if I had known it would be this easy, I wouldn't have waited so long" Itachi said. _

_ "What do you want with me?" Naruto demanded as he pushed himself to his feet. Something within him was screaming for him to run._

_ "You hold the nine tailed demon within you, I don't think you realize how much power that is."_

_ "You just want the power it holds" Naruto said "what happens to me since I'm the one keeping it safe."_

_ "The extraction process will likely kill you" Itachi replied "Which is kind of a waste but it is what it is."_

_ "I don't want to go with you" Naruto said "I want to protect the village from the likes of you."_

_ "How nice protecting the village that hates you, that refuses you the chance to be human." Itachi said alluding to Naruto's illiteracy. _

_ "So" Naruto said "I'll find a way to learn those skills but being a ninja is more important to me." _

_ "Whatever, you're not going to be alive that much longer" Itachi said turning his Sharingan on. Within a matter of minutes Itachi and Kisame had Naruto captured and unconscious._

_ Itachi had tossed the unconscious Naruto over his shoulders so he didn't see the ripped cloth from his cape slip from Naruto's limp fingers. _

Naruto sat up suddenly, his forehead covered in sweat. That had been one hell of a nightmare. He wondered if it meant anything. At the rate that his life was going he wouldn't be very surprised. Sighing, Naruto threw up and arm and wiped away the sweat. He would have to take a dip in the river before heading to his team meeting. He hoped it wouldn't be too noticeable that he'd taken his bath in the river. Then again no one ever really paid enough attention to tell where he bathed or not.

Hanging his head, Naruto wished he had been born someone else. Someone that wasn't so difficult to love. He couldn't understand why he was treated this way, and then again maybe something in the dream had explained it. He sensed that somehow his dream had been a premonition, and that everything discussed in it was true. He didn't know he hoped it wasn't but it was an explanation for being treated worse than an animal.

"What are you doing out here?" a kind voice asked from the entrance to the clearing. Naruto's head shot up. No one ever came here because they knew he lived here. So who was this person who dared come to his home? Naruto frowned; he'd seen the older ninja around, the one with the hair in a ponytail and the scar across his nose. He had the friendliest eyes Naruto had ever seen. But he didn't dare trust him no one was ever kind to him so why would anyone start now.

As if sensing Naruto's nervousness, Iruka slowed his approach, not wanting to frighten the boy. The Hokage had told him about Naruto, and despite the fact that Naruto housed the demon that had claimed his parent's lives. He'd wanted to help Naruto. No child deserved to be treated as Naruto was. Naruto was suffering needlessly and Iruka wanted to put an end to it. He couldn't understand the village, especially if what he'd heard about the boy was true. Naruto should be respected not tossed out in the street to figure out a way to live.

"I'm Iruka" Iruka said approaching Naruto's side. Naruto frowned again and attempted to back away. Ninja's liked to beat up on him, for no reason other than they wanted to. So was that why this man was here, to hurt him?

"Can you even talk?" Iruka asked, a sadness weighing down on his chest. When he realized just how abused the boy had really been. He watched Naruto back away from him and frowned. It was much worse than the Hokage had thought, so much worse that Iruka wanted to cry. He wished he hadn't stayed away from the village for so long, maybe then none of this would have happened.

"How did they get by with doing this to you?" Iruka wondered out loud wondering why the Hokage hadn't interfered sooner. No one deserved to be trying to live on their own at his age. What really got to Iruka was the sadness in Naruto's deep blue eyes, along with fear.

"I'm not going to hurt you" Iruka spoke softly and slowly like he would to an injured animal. "I'm going to take care of you; you won't have to sleep outside anymore."

Naruto looked up at the ninja, almost too afraid to hope, that good was finally coming his way. Still when the kind looked ninja reached out his hand towards him. Naruto flinched, he couldn't help it; it came from years of being hurt.

Naruto opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He lowered his head in shame. He was stupid; why else could he not do anything? Naruto didn't see the sympathy in Iruka's eyes.

"I will teach you" Iruka said hating the look in the boy's eyes. This wasn't right. Someone should have been held responsible for this child; instead it seemed that he had gotten lost in the system. Never again, Iruka was determined he would take care of the child himself, even if he had to adopt Naruto and give up missions. One way or the other, Naruto's life was about to change for the good. If anyone deserved for some good to come their way it was Naruto.

Naruto looked at the ninja who wasn't trying to get any closer to him. Naruto sensed that he had good intentions but still he wasn't certain. He'd tried trusting ninja before but it didn't turn out well for him. In fact it was almost always the ninja who would beat up on Naruto. Still, something was saying he could trust this one, maybe it was the kindness in his eyes, or the way he seemed to understand that Naruto needed space and so he stayed several feet away from him. Naruto watched him wearily and Iruka didn't blame him, he wouldn't trust anyone either, if he'd lived through what Naruto had.

"I need you to come with me" Iruka said softly still afraid of spooking the child. "We need to get you into a better place to sleep." For a few moments Iruka wondered if Naruto would come with him.

Sensing that the ninja before him was actually good, and wanted to help him; Naruto decided that for the time being he would trust him. Pushing himself to his feet, he stood and walked slowly towards Iruka. Iruka smiled and felt like a small battle had been won. It looked like Naruto had decided that he wasn't dangerous at the moment.

"I promise I'm not going to hurt you, and while you are with me, no one will hurt you again." Iruka stated. Naruto came within a couple of feet of Iruka and stopped.

"Let's go home" Iruka said softly and Naruto frowned, he didn't really have any idea what the concept of home was. There were a lot of things he didn't understand, like his need to protect a village that constantly shunned him. Maybe Iruka would be able to explain it to him. If he could find a way to express what he was talking about first, that is, Naruto had problems speaking as well as being unable to read and write.

Naruto shuffled his feet and stared down at the ground while he followed Iruka through the town. He was more nervous than he had been when being forced from class to class, when he attended school. He was only 11 and was already so lonely, enough so that on most days he tried to get into trouble. Lately though, he hadn't felt like it so he just stayed out of everyone's way, ignoring the kids that made fun of him for his lack of learning. it wasn't like he was truly stupid and unable to learn it was just that people refused to teach him, though somehow he had a feeling that with Iruka things were going to be different. He hoped they would at least; he was so tired of all the bad that had been going on in his life lately.

A few short minutes later they arrived at Iruka's apartment. Opening the door, Iruka held it open for Naruto to enter. He walked through the door expecting someone to start yelling for him to get the hell out, that animals didn't deserve to live inside. Naruto paused to look around, from the door way he saw the kitchen with the normal fridge, stove and cabinets and a small table for two. Looking towards the living room, he noticed a bookshelf with several different scrolls. A little distance away from the bookshelf was a small sofa sitting with its back towards a window.

"Are you hungry?" Iruka asked after walking in after Naruto and closing the door. "I can make you something to eat if you want." Naruto looked up at him with his blue eyes shining with tears; Iruka felt his heart break at the expression on Naruto's face. It almost seemed as if Naruto was begging for food, it hurt Iruka to know that villagers had purposely withheld food from Naruto.

"Anything you like in particular?" Iruka asked heading towards the kitchen, he was trying to get the sight of those blue eyes filled with tears out of his eyes. Naruto was obviously not used to receiving any kindness from people, and it hurt Iruka more than he could explain. Naruto shook his head but followed Iruka into the kitchen. He sat down at the table and watched while Iruka made some noodles. He couldn't explain why he felt like crying his eyes out, and he didn't understand why Iruka was being so kind. No one else had, so why was Iruka going out of his way to make him comfortable?

A few short minutes later a steaming bowl of noodles was placed in front of Naruto. He reached into the bowl with his fingers and winced when he was burned.

Iruka grimaced it was becoming more and more apparent that Naruto hadn't been taught anything he needed to know. Iruka hoped he would be able to change that. He reached out and taking Naruto's hand placed a fork in it. Once Naruto had a grip on it Iruka stuck it in the noodles and proceeded to show Naruto how to eat with a fork.

Later that night Iruka showed Naruto to the room where he would be sleeping. Naruto frowned, the bed looked like it was going to be comfortable and he was surprised that Iruka wasn't making him sleep outside. Tears formed in Naruto's eyes again and they silently slid down his face. He would never be able to pay this man back for his kindness.

When Iruka saw that Naruto was crying again, he felt another sharp pain go through his heart and he felt like crying himself. He kneeled down in front of Naruto and gently as if he was afraid of scaring the boy, wrapped his arms around Naruto in a comforting hug. Naruto of course, froze, unsure of what was going on. He wondered if that was when Iruka intended to hurt him, he was more than a little surprised when Iruka didn't do anything more than hold him.

After a few minutes Iruka let him go, Naruto watched while Iruka pulled the blankets down and urged Naruto forward into the bed. Once Naruto was covered Iruka gently ran his hands through the spiky blonde hair.

"You're going to be okay now, Naruto that I promise you." Iruka turned and walked out of the room, afraid that his tears would show if he stayed any longer. "I'm so sorry they didn't take care of you" he whispered as he made his way to his own room.

So this is slightly different from the storyline but still one that I hope is worth reading. Thanks for reading and reviewing have a great day. Liz


	2. Chapter 2

He lives in you

Chapter 2

Iruka lay awake in his bed, he'd gone to bed two hours ago, but he had yet to even begin to feel tired. He still couldn't comprehend just how badly abused Naruto had been by his caregivers. It made him sick to his stomach, and he wanted very badly to punish those who had hurt Naruto time and time again. _Stupid missions _Iruka thought bitterly. If he hadn't been required to be out of the village so long, he could have been protecting Naruto that much sooner. He wondered briefly why the Hokage had just now decided to give care of the boy to him. Not that he minded he would rather be beaten within an inch of his life than to see anyone be abused as Naruto had. It wasn't fair that Naruto had to suffer for essentially saving the village, it wasn't right. If Iruka could fix it he would in a heartbeat.

Iruka sighed and closed his eyes he really needed to get some sleep, so that in the morning he could start teaching Naruto the necessary skills to not just survive as a ninja but as a person as well. He had no sooner closed his eyes, than he heard loud whimpering coming from where Naruto was sleeping. Iruka shot up in his bed, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. He stood and quickly exited his bedroom, and walked fast down the hall towards Naruto's room.

His heart hurt at the sight of Naruto curled into the fetal position on the floor, silent sobs shaking his small body. Iruka made his way over and kneeled down beside Naruto and gently placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto jumped, obviously startled. Iruka sighed he should have let Naruto know he was there so that he wouldn't have scared him.

"It's okay, Naruto, it was just a dream" Iruka said soothingly as Naruto's eyes opened, and blue pupils stared at him with tears shining. Iruka felt a sharp pang go through his heart and he wanted to go out and hurt those who had so badly hurt Naruto. Violence, however, was not the answer to this problem. "No one's going to hurt you anymore. I won't let them." Naruto blinked at Iruka still unsure of whether or not to trust him, but then again surely, if Iruka had meant to hurt him it would have happened already. Tears filled Naruto's eyes again as he looked into Iruka's kind face. No one had ever cared whether or not he was scared or hurt before, it was kind of nice now to know that someone at least pretended to care.

Iruka sighed, seeming to know what Naruto was thinking. It seemed that the kid seemed to trust him for the time being. Standing to his feet, Iruka reached down and gently pulled Naruto to his feet. He helped him back into the bed, and covered him with the blanket.

"Tomorrow we're going to start teaching you to talk." Naruto looked at him with such hope in his eyes, that Iruka felt tears prick his eyes. He couldn't imagine being Naruto's age and not being able to speak or even read and write. "I'm going to make up for what those people wouldn't teach you, I promise." Iruka stated once he'd gotten a rein on his emotions. "So you had better get some rest because tomorrow's going to be a busy day." Naruto offered Iruka a small smile and Iruka felt like his day got better.

Iruka gently ruffled Naruto's head before turning and exiting out of the bedroom. Once out in the hall Iruka sighed and leaned against the wall. He wondered if he could possibly get Naruto all the help that he so desperately needed. He was so far behind in his everyday skills that Iruka doubted he'd ever be where he needed to be. That didn't Iruka wasn't going to try, he was going to prove to Naruto that there was still some good out there, even if he went insane while doing it. Iruka pushed himself away from the wall and headed back towards his room. He hoped that Naruto slept well for the rest of the night, but considering the kids past, Iruka doubted that he would.

Surprisingly enough Naruto did sleep for the rest of the night, and in the morning when he woke up and realized he was still in the house and not on the balcony; he wondered how he'd finally gotten lucky. It seemed he had finally found someone who wasn't going to abuse him and the fact that he was going to teach him to talk and read and write, excited Naruto more than he could explain. For the first time in his young life, he actually looked forward to something that hopefully wouldn't end in pain. He lay awake for several minutes, wondering if there was something that he needed to be doing because surely, Iruka would expect something of him. Sitting up, Naruto threw his legs over the edge of the bed and stood. He walked over to the window and looked out; it was still fairly early so there weren't many people out and about. Did he not deserve to be normal? Is that why he was never taught the simple things? What was wrong with him that made people hate him so much? Did last night's nightmare having anything to do with it? Were some bad people going to come after him for something that apparently hidden within him? Was that why everyone hated him so much, because of something he couldn't control. Naruto sighed he didn't have any answers to any of those questions, and quite frankly thinking about it anymore was giving him a headache. Sighing, Naruto turned away from the window and walked out of the room he slept in and walked into the kitchen. He wasn't sure how long Iruka was going to sleep but he hoped it wouldn't be very much longer.

Sitting down at the table, Naruto stared down at his hands. He wasn't exactly comfortable, because he'd been kicked out of every place that he was supposed to have been living at. He wondered if Iruka was planning on kicking him out after so long. He hoped not, he didn't think he could go back to being homeless. Sighing, Naruto leaned over and laid his head down on the table.

After a few minutes Naruto heard movement and Iruka appeared in the kitchen. Iruka smiled and walked over to the fridge.

"I take it you're ready to eat?" Iruka asked with an easy smile. Naruto nodded and Iruka got a bowl down for cereal. He watched while Naruto ate quickly and Iruka wondered if it was because people took away his food before he was finished, if they decided to feed him at all. The thought made him angry; he really wanted to go hurt someone. Though, technically he had sworn to protect the citizens of the Konoha. He just didn't understand how they were allowed to get by with hurting Naruto.

Once Naruto was finished eating, Iruka went and gathered some scrolls. He was determined Naruto would catch up with his age group no matter how long it took. Sitting Naruto on the couch, Iruka opened a scroll that had some simple words on it. Then he proceeded to help Naruto sound a few words out.

A few hours later Iruka was tired, and Naruto was more than a little frustrated. He already hated the learning process and he wanted to be done with it already.

"It's okay that it's slow," Iruka explained to the frustrated boy beside him, "You haven't had the opportunity to learn as you should have, so it's going to a little slow for a little while, but I promise with a little hard work, I will get you to where you need to be." Naruto could tell that Iruka meant everything he said. He hoped he could learn because he didn't want to disappoint his new found friend.

He sighed and looked down at his hands, ashamed that he even had to be taught this stuff. He should have been smart enough to already know it. Iruka sensing what he was thinking, took his hand and placed his fingers under Naruto's chin and lifted forcing Naruto to look at him.

"This isn't your fault, the adults that were responsible for you, it's their fault. There is nothing wrong with you; it doesn't make you stupid because the adults didn't do what they need too." Iruka said feeling sad that Naruto thought he was stupid because of things he hadn't been taught. He was going to change that if possible, he would love for Naruto to be a regular kid.

"Why don't we take a break for a few minutes and then continue for a little longer" Iruka suggested "we don't want you to get too frustrated because you won't learn to speak in a day." Naruto nodded though he honestly didn't feel like continuing. What was the point he was so far behind other kids his age it wasn't funny. Naruto stood and walked over to the window watching the people bustling about their lives. He wondered why he couldn't be like them, what he wouldn't give to change that.

"It's okay to be who you are" Iruka said, standing and walking over to join Naruto by the window "You're special, and that's not a bad thing to be." Naruto looked up at the taller man and frowned. What did special mean?

"You're just a little different from other people" Iruka said "Which is okay, because not everyone is the same. Naruto sighed and turned back to the window. He raised his hand and pressed it to the glass. He just wanted to be like everyone else. Iruka gave a weak smile and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and squeezed. _I'm sorry; I couldn't stop them from hurting you _Iruka thought pain wrapping around his heart and squeezing. Naruto was apparently a gentle boy who only wanted to be loved; life however had obviously had other plans for him. No one deserved to go without love, and Iruka was determined that Naruto wasn't going to go without anymore. _If you need me, Naruto all you have to do is call, and I'll be there when you need me._ Iruka walked away from the window and sat back down on the couch, calling Naruto over he watched as Naruto seemed to deflate. He didn't really like learning but it was necessary. Naruto came over and sat down beside Iruka. They picked up where they left before their short break. Naruto turned out that he could pick up on some words quicker than others but it was very apparent that he didn't like learning.

Finally, after a couple of hours, Iruka decided that Naruto had had enough for the night. When Iruka let Naruto get up, he went right back to the window and stared out. Iruka smiled. Naruto was a bright boy it was a shame that no one had noticed before now.

"Did you want to take a shower?" Iruka asked Naruto frowned and looked over at Iruka. He'd never bathed unless it was in the river. So he wasn't exactly sure what Iruka was talking about. Iruka grabbed Naruto by the arm and gently led Naruto to the bathroom. Naruto stared at the tub in fascination; you could take a bath without having to go outside. Iruka showed Naruto what he was supposed to do then walked out of the room and shut the door. He leaned against the wall and sighed. He still got angry about how Naruto got treated, he wished he could do the same to them but two wrongs didn't make a right.

Twenty minutes later Naruto wondered back into the living room, where Iruka was sitting and quietly talking to a man with silver hair and masked face.

"You wouldn't believe how bad this kid has been treated; he can't talk or read and write." Iruka said "I want to go and beat those people who treated him badly; it's not fair that he's had to suffer so much in his young life." Iruka glanced up upon seeing Naruto enter the room.

"Naruto, this is Kakashi, Kakashi this is Naruto" Iruka introduced, Naruto walked over and stood slightly behind Iruka.

"Hi" he mumbled using one of the few words he'd learned that day. Kakashi nodded. He glanced at Iruka sending a silent message in his gaze. A few minutes later Kakashi left and Iruka was left with a still ashamed looking Naruto.

"I don't know about you but I'm tired" Iruka said standing and walking towards Naruto's bedroom. Naruto followed and watched silently as Iruka got his bed prepared.

"I'm going to teach you how to do this" Iruka said softly. A few minutes later Naruto crawled under his covers.

"Night" he mumbled as Iruka gently ran his hand through Naruto's blonde locks.

"Good night, sleep well" Iruka said walking out of the room. He went and got ready for bed, he was exhausted but he was also worried about how Naruto would sleep tonight. He seemed okay during the day with everything that had happened to him but at night, it seemed to do its damage to the child. Iruka couldn't stand that, he wanted to ease the boy's loneliness and make up for the painful past.

He woke up suddenly and glanced towards his alarm clock it was three in the morning. He couldn't explain it but he sensed that Naruto was in some kind of danger. Throwing his blankets off of him Iruka climbed out of bed, and hurried down the towards Naruto's room. He was shocked to find that Naruto's window was broken and Naruto was gone.

"Naruto" he shouted instantly worried as he walked over to the window. He saw blood where the glass used to be. That scared Iruka even more. He raced out of the room, and straight out of his apartment, he was shocked to find Naruto lying unconscious in the street. Iruka kneeled down beside him, and quickly checked him over for injuries, but like he expected his injuries were almost healed. It was more than apparent that Naruto had been beaten again.

Iruka cursed under his breath as he stood and then lifted Naruto into his arms. He wasn't whether to take him to the hospital or not. Probably not, since they would probably just try to make him worse.

"Iruka what happened?" he heard Kakashi call out, worry more than a little apparent in his voice.

"He disappeared from his bedroom" Iruka said "I found him in the middle of the street. They beat him again." They headed back towards Iruka's apartment.

"This has got to stop; he'll never trust anybody at this point." Iruka said softly as Naruto started to groan in his arms.

"Be still buddy" Iruka said gently as Kakashi pushed his door open and they entered Iruka's apartment. By the time they reached the living room, Naruto was awake and struggling against Iruka's arms. It got bad enough; Iruka accidently dropped Naruto onto the hard floor.

"I'm sorry Naruto" Iruka said kneeling down and trying to ignore the hurt look in Naruto's blue eyes.

"I'm k" Naruto said and Iruka took that to mean he was okay. Iruka sighed Naruto was going to sleep in his room tonight and Iruka would take the couch.

~one year later~

Naruto had turned 12, and he had learned the basics to reading and writing, and was on a two year olds speaking level. He was learning better every day but it was still going slowly. Naruto got frustrated a lot and Iruka with his never ending Patience worked with him the best that he could. Naruto was also placed on his genin team, as Iruka had also been working with Naruto on his ninja skills.

"Come on Naruto, you're going to be late" Iruka shouted from the kitchen, he smiled when Naruto's door was thrown open. He knew that would work, Naruto loved his ninja training more than he liked learning to speak. Naruto was proving to be a very vibrant child even if he was a little on the quite side. Iruka understood perfectly why Naruto didn't speak around his teammates very often. He didn't want to be made fun of anymore then he already had. It was amazing the progress the kid had made with Iruka working with him, it was slow but Naruto worked hard, just not harder than he worked at being a ninja. For once Iruka was glad that Kakashi was Naruto's team leader. Kakashi understood Naruto's issues and didn't press him too hard, when he had trouble getting his thoughts out.

Naruto's teammates, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno seemed to have taken up the rest of the town's attitude about Naruto and ignored him despite the fact that Naruto tried to help them whenever they appeared to need it. Iruka didn't understand how they just took an instant disliking to Naruto. They didn't even really know him, they knew that the village hated him and they took the same attitude. It wasn't fair to Naruto who needed friends his own age not just the few adults who looked after him.

Iruka frowned he had no idea how to fix the friend problem, but he was determined he'd be there for Naruto no matter what problem he faced. Naruto entered the kitchen and plopped down at the kitchen table, he waited until Iruka had put his cereal in front of him and then he started gobbling it down.

"Slow down Naruto" Iruka said "Your team will still be waiting for you, if you're late." Naruto shrugged but kept eating just as fast. Iruka chuckled under his breath. Naruto was incorrigible, but that was just one of many things that Iruka loved about him.

"Don't cry to me if you get choked" Iruka commented before walking out of the kitchen. He had taken a job at the academy so that he could be here for Naruto instead of going on missions. He wanted to be there whenever Naruto was having trouble.

"Bye 'ruka" Naruto called five minutes later after he'd finished eating and had dragged his shoes onto his feet.

"Don't work too hard" Iruka called a little too late as Naruto was already out the door before he could reply. Iruka chuckled again as he got ready to head to the academy. Naruto may have speech and reading and writing problems, but he was still your average boy, hyperactive. It was a welcome change from the way he was one year ago.

Iruka sighed as he walked out the door and headed towards the academy. He couldn't explain it but he had a feeling that something bad would happen. He hoped that whatever it was, wouldn't effect, Naruto's learning. he wanted Naruto to catch up to speed with Sakura and Sasuke but he knew that wasn't likely to happen for years, even with Naruto doing as well as he was. He shook his head to clear his worried thoughts as he entered his classroom.

More action next chapter I promise. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Liz


	3. Chapter 3

He lives in you

Chapter three

Naruto was racing through the street, ignoring the glares that were sent his way. He accepted the fact that people would probably always hate him, as long as he had Iruka and Kakashi he would be okay. He wondered if Sakura and Sasuke were going to expect him to talk to them today. He hoped not because his language skills were nowhere near to where they needed to be. Then again they just tended to act like he wasn't even there most days, so maybe they would just continue on like that for the next several years. He doubted that however, at some point in time he needed to be able to communicate with them.

He reached the bridge without any major incidents, only a few people shouting at him to get out of their village. To his surprise he was the first one at the bridge. Sighing, he walked over to the bridge railing and looked over the edge. He loved training to be a ninja, more than spending time working on social skills anyways. He knew they were important but he would rather focus on training to be the best ninja possible. After all, he wanted to be the Hokage; one couldn't do that without training as much as possible.

"Hey, it's the Village Nightmare" he heard someone call. Naruto frowned and ignored them. They would eventually go away, if he acted like he didn't see them or hear them. Village nightmare that was a new one, Naruto frowned that reminded him he'd dreamed about those guys again. The ones in the black capes with red clouds he didn't understand what they meant.

_Naruto had regained consciousness in a place that had looked like a cave. He looked around him and attempted to move, but found that he couldn't move at all. He struggled but no matter how hard he fought he wasn't getting loose. He looked up above him at what looked like a huge stone wall, with what looked eye sockets. He stared wondering just exactly where he was. He barely noticed that there were several ninja with the black capes standing on what looked like hands. He groaned as the eye came fully open and he felt a tugging deep within him. He could literally feel nine tails being pulled out of him, and the pain was almost more than he could take. He cried out in agony as the pain grew worse. He knew then he would never see Konoha again or even live to see his dream of becoming Hokage come true. _

_ "Sorry, Sensei," Naruto muttered "I failed, I let myself be captured and now I'm going to die, I'm sorry, I couldn't protect the village." Naruto closed his eyes and his outstretched arms fell limply to his side as one last sharp tug pulled nine tails free from his prison. _

"Earth to Naruto" a female voice shouted from somewhere close to his ear. "Wake up already!" Naruto shook his head clearing his thoughts from his latest nightmare.

"Sorry" he muttered one of the few words he would ever utter in front of them.

"For a ninja you get distracted far too easily" Sakura muttered before turning towards their dark haired teammate and proceeded to ask him out.

Naruto frowned, for once Sakura was right; he did get distracted far too easily. That could be problematic in the future but he didn't see much of an issue at the moment.

"Please Sasuke" Sakura pleaded "please go out with me!" Naruto groaned everyday Sakura asked Sasuke out and everyday he always said no. you would think that Sakura would get the point and stop asking him out, but apparently she was a masochist.

"Stop" Naruto muttered turning his back towards her; he was already wishing Kakashi Sensei was here already. He wasn't likely to be for another but still a boy couldn't help but wish.

"Shut up, Naruto" Sakura snapped irritably, Naruto rolled his eyes. She got like this every day, so I was used to it. Naruto heaved a sigh as she continued to aggravate Sasuke, Naruto wasn't a fan of either of them, but if they needed help he was willing to help them, not that they needed it of course, they knew everything.

Naruto turned away from them and headed towards the end of the bridge, I didn't feel like listening to them bicker today. Naruto wasn't feeling all that well, and Naruto had more than the average amount of worry on his mind.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sakura demanded when she noticed Naruto walking away.

"Away" Naruto replied as he reached the end of the bridge and began practicing his back flips. He was going to do something constructive with his time for once while he was waiting for Kakashi to get there.

"Do you know any full sentences?" Sakura asked annoyed, and Naruto frowned. Was it that obvious that he had issues with speaking?

"I bet you don't," She continued ignoring the look on Naruto's face. "I bet you can't talk or read or do anything normal, but then again you're not normal are you? You're the village idiot!" Naruto swallowed hard and looked down at the ground. He had no idea how she found out but now his worst enemy, Sasuke Uchiha knew his greatest weakness. He looked at Sakura, his bright blue eyes shining with tears. He knew she didn't like him, a very few people did. But did she have to humiliate him like that in front of Sasuke?

Naruto turned away from Sasuke and sat down hard on the ground, he didn't see the sympathetic look in Sasuke's eyes, or the glare he sent Sakura. He barely heard him tell her to shut up. All Naruto could think about was that Sakura had somehow found out his secret and had used it against him. When was he going to learn, those closest to him would always find a way to hurt him? Naruto shook his, trying to clear his head of his negative thoughts. This was just another person trying to bring him down, he didn't have to listen or even believe anything they said. Still, he couldn't help feel hurt, he was working hard at trying to change those skills, and he was making progress but you could only learn so much at one time. Before you got tired and gave up for the day.

"Naruto" he heard his Sensei's voice from somewhere near his ear. He frowned; it seemed that Kakashi had arrived to hear Sakura's not so friendly comments. That made everything worse, though Kakashi already knew about his literacy problems; he often came over and helped Iruka teach him. Kakashi knew though that Naruto didn't want anyone to know because to him it was still something to be ashamed about. All though both Kakashi and Iruka had tried to convince him that it wasn't his fault.

"She knows Kakashi Sensei, she knows and she told Sasuke." Naruto wiped tears away from his eyes. He didn't think he'd ever be able to face Sasuke again. He heard Kakashi sigh from beside him.

"Do I have to be here today?" Naruto asked looking up at Kakashi.

"We have a team mission, today that requires all three of you to be here. You're teammates need you." Kakashi though he knew how Naruto was feeling, hurt and embarrassed. He couldn't blame the boy if his personal issues had been blurted out to the whole world, he would have been embarrassed too.

"I'm sorry" Kakashi said sincerely, he had come to truly care for the boy sitting beside him. Naruto gave his all without being asked. One day he would make an excellent ninja. He had the heart and the determination to go very far. Kakashi just hoped that this wouldn't be a setback that Naruto let bring him down.

Naruto heaved a sigh, trying to rid himself of his depressed thoughts. Being negative wouldn't change what she thought, but maybe they could be friends eventually if he worked at it. Not that he should even want to be friends with her after what happened, but Naruto decided that despite his hurt he was going to do the right thing and forgive her. He just planned to stay as far away as possible from Sakura and her vindictive streak. Sighing, he wiped away his tears, and then pushed himself up to his feet.

"Go" Naruto murmured to Kakashi who smiled beneath his mask. Naruto was a good kid just a bit misunderstood. He hoped that eventually Sakura and Sasuke would warm up to Naruto, and not mind his eccentricities. Looks like they were a long way from that ever happening, no matter what though, Naruto always went forward with his head up. Kakashi couldn't have been more proud of him.

"Okay guys, we have a team mission" Kakashi said, standing to his feet, and walking towards his young genin. Naruto was standing apart from Sakura and Sasuke. He was avoiding making eye contact with them; instead he was focusing on what Kakashi was talking about. Naruto ignored the looks Sasuke kept sending his way, though he was curious why Sasuke even cared, unless he was planning on humiliating Naruto even further.

Twenty minutes later they split up to gather the necessities required for this mission. They were leaving the village on a simple mission to take some scrolls back to Suna. Naruto wondered why they were returning the scrolls when a messenger bird would make ten times easier. When Sakura asked about it, Kakashi acted like he didn't even hear her. Naruto had wondered over to the ramen stand before heading back to Iruka's apartment.

When he had returned to the apartment it was to discover Kakashi holding a rather serious conversation with Iruka.

"We have to get Naruto out of the village; we have more reason than not to believe, than an organization is going to be coming after Naruto for the nine tails."

"Does he have to leave?" Iruka asked worried about the boy he'd taken in a little over a year ago.

"It's either leave with him or let him get executed so that they can't get nine tails" Kakashi said hating having to be so blunt. Iruka was his best friend and he knew just how much Iruka cared about Naruto.

"I can't let that happen" Iruka murmured looking down at the floor. He hated that Naruto would have to leave but Iruka wasn't going to let him be killed. "How long will he have to be gone?"

"Until we determine just how determined this organization is to get to him, and what they want with him" Kakashi replied.

"You will help him with reading, writing and talking?" Iruka asked with a calm acceptance that surprised Kakashi.

"Of course I will" Kakashi said "it might be a little hard because he doesn't want Sasuke and Sakura to know just how handicapped he is. Not that I can blame him for that, but I will do my best for him you know that already." Iruka smiled sadly, he hated having Naruto leave his home and protection, but he supposed he would rather have Naruto out of the village and alive than in the village and dead. He wanted to see Naruto become the Hokage; he knew Naruto had the determination to make his dreams come true; he just needed to get his social skills up to par.

"Please protect him Kakashi, he needs a lot of support, I'm not sure his teammates understand that, not after what you told me Sakura done."

"I had a talk with Sakura, I don't think she will try that again, she doesn't understand just how much Naruto's suffered in his life. I made sure both her and Sasuke understood Naruto's past, and that he isn't the blame for his learning disabilities." Naruto frowned feeling betrayed. He couldn't believe Kakashi had told them the whole story. His past wasn't anything to be proud of. Whether Kakashi realized it or not he had just added fuel to the fire. It wouldn't get better it would get worse, especially with Sakura. He couldn't understand why Kakashi thought it was necessary that they know everything about him. Naruto sighed and closed his eyes and slid down the wall beside the door to the apartment. He had no idea how he would face his teammates after Kakashi and told them about him.

Naruto drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Laying his head on his knees, he contemplated his choices. Apparently he didn't have many since that group had decided to come after him now and not later. He guessed whoever they were, weren't willing to wait on him to become a stronger ninja. He wondered if he should risk becoming a missing Nin. It would be better for the village in the long run but it would mean that he would always have to be on the run and he wouldn't see his dream of becoming Hokage come to fruition.

Kakashi stepped out of Iruka's apartment and was surprised to see Naruto sitting in the hall right beside the door. He wondered if he'd heard any of their conversation. It wasn't like he wanted to embarrass the kid, but he figured his teammates needed to know about his disabilities so that they could avoid any more situations like the one earlier. He hoped Sakura and Sasuke would be a little bit friendlier towards Naruto from now on. He needed friends his own age, not just one or two adults who were trying to help him.

He kneeled down beside the boy who was still hugging his knees. He placed his hand gently on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto jumped startled. Even a little over a year of being in Iruka's home hadn't cured him of startling easily, and expecting to be hurt. It hurt Kakashi that even after all this time, Naruto still expected to be hurt. He guessed that a lifetime of hurtful experiences didn't change your mind overnight.

Naruto raised his head and looked at the silver haired ninja kneeling down beside him.

"You told them" Naruto stated hurt in his voice.

"Yes, I did" Kakashi said "They should have been told from the start so that they could understand the situation."

"Sakura will use it against me somehow" Naruto said looking down. "She hates me and so does Sasuke, their like every other person in this village."

"They don't hate you" Kakashi disagreed "They just don't know you. If they did, then they would love you just as much as me and Iruka do" Kakashi stated sliding down to sit beside Naruto.

"Sure, they would" Naruto mumbled. He knew better than to believe that Sakura and Sasuke would ever care. They could both be pretty heartless.

"You know I didn't tell them to hurt you, neither understand why you are the way you are. Just promise me you will try to get along with them."

"When do I not try?" Naruto asked Sakura yelled at him when he didn't talk much and most of the time Sasuke ignored him; unless it was to prove that he was better than Naruto at some maneuver.

He had a point Kakashi thought he was always the one who tried to get along with them, but they both acted like he was a bug underneath their feet. That was going to change on this mission one way or the other. Kakashi felt sorry for the boy, who was still unsure of how people truly felt about him, unsure of where exactly he fit in. he reached out for love and acceptance and most often got hurt for his effort. He wished he had taken in the child as soon as he'd been born, but at the time he was still in Anbu. Besides, technically, he'd still be a kid himself. He had been in no shape to raise a child, especially one like Naruto who needed a lot of protection. Still, good intentions didn't make up for years of pain. No matter how much Kakashi had wished he could erase it, but he couldn't. He could only hope that he could somehow make up for it. He was determined with this mission, that not a hair on Naruto's head would be touched. This organization wouldn't get their hands on Naruto; they wouldn't get nine tails power and in the process end a child's life. No way in hell would Kakashi allow that to happen. He would protect Naruto at all costs. Even if it meant not returning to the village for years to come, Naruto was more than worth it.

Naruto frowned and looked away from Kakashi making Kakashi think that he had more on his mind that he wanted to say, but couldn't form the words to voice his concerns. After a few minutes of thinking about how to voice what he was thinking, Naruto just sighed and looked at Kakashi.

"Learn" he stated and Kakashi knew immediately that he was asking how he was going learn with Sasuke and Sakura around.

"They're going to help teach you words and how to use them" Kakashi said and Naruto stared at him in horror. He didn't like the sound of that at all. It was leaving him open to more attacks from his teammates and that was the last thing he wanted or even needed.

"I know what you're thinking" Kakashi said "I understand your fear perfectly, but Iruka and I both think you need more interaction with your team. Get to know them and they get to know you. This is a perfect opportunity to perhaps become friends. Naruto snorted. He didn't believe for a minute that either of them wanted to get to know him or even be his friend. Nobody wanted to before Iruka came into his life.

"Don't want" Naruto said softly resorting back to using only a few words to express his displeasure with the situation. Kakashi felt bad for Naruto, and wished he hadn't had to put Naruto in this position. Kakashi sighed and placed an arm around Naruto's shoulder and pulled him close to his side.

"I'm going to be there, you don't have anything to worry about" Kakashi promised while giving Naruto a one armed hug. "I know you're worried, but it's going to be okay." Naruto leaned into Kakashi's hug, accepting his form of comfort. Kakashi and Iruka were the only people Naruto ever accepted comfort from. They were the only ones he was certain that wouldn't hurt him. It made Kakashi feel nice to know that he was one of the few people Naruto trusted him explicitly. He wouldn't do anything to change that in the world. So with this new situation he took Naruto's fear into consideration he decided this would be a good time for them to get to know Naruto. Sakura wasn't very happy about the situation, but Sasuke was surprisingly silent. Kakashi didn't think that Sasuke minded as much as he acted like he did. He had a feeling Sasuke was more curious than anything.

Kakashi remained sitting there with Naruto relaxed at his side for a few more minutes. He heaved a sigh, and stood to his feet.

"Why don't we go on and get ready for our mission, we're already late as it is" Kakashi said, grinning. Naruto still filled with apprehension, stood and nodding towards Kakashi entered Iruka's apartment.

Iruka was sitting the couch, reading when Naruto walked in. Iruka noted Naruto's somber mood. He wished he could go with Naruto on this mission, if only to protect him, but he had other responsibilities that he needed to take care of. Didn't mean he wouldn't miss Naruto's unpredictability.

Naruto headed straight towards his room to get his things together. He was worried about this whole mission, what if those guys that were coming for him found out he wasn't in the village? If they were very powerful than Naruto doubted even Kakashi could handle them on his own. He was worried about this whole mess. He didn't want to place the lives of his young teammates in danger any more than necessary.

When he was finished, he grabbed his bag and headed towards the living room. Iruka was waiting for him at the door. Naruto hated the sadness he saw in his guardian's eyes. He wished more than anything that he could see the teasing laughter that was usually surrounding him.

Iruka held out his arms and Naruto walked straight into his arms after dropping his bag on the floor.

"I know you're worried" Iruka said holding tight to Naruto. "You're going to be okay. Kakashi knows what he's doing, he wouldn't put you in a situation that would hurt you."

"Team" Naruto muttered against Iruka's shoulder "hate me"

"No, they don't" Iruka said softly as he rubbed circles into Naruto's back. "Maybe you'll get to be friends with your team, wouldn't you like to have friends you can hang out with friends that are your own age?" Naruto didn't say anything, for all his friendliness he was still pretty shy because of his learning problems. Iruka knew that, and he worried almost as much as Naruto was, when Kakashi mentioned his plan. In the end Kakashi had convinced him that it would be a good idea.

"I'm going to miss you 'ruka" Naruto murmured softly as he pulled back from the hug.

"I'll miss you too, so you have to promise me to come back safe and sound, even if it takes twenty years." Naruto smiled at Iruka's comment. He hoped it wouldn't take twenty years, but he supposed it might take a while to throw those guys off his trail.

"Stay safe, Naruto" Iruka said softly as Naruto grabbed his bag and headed out the door. "Come home soon" he added after Naruto had walked out the door.

Once Naruto was on his way to their meeting place, he put a grin on his face and tried to ignore the fact that he was worried about having Sasuke and Sakura teach him anything.

For once Naruto was able to walk to the bridge in relative peace. Only a few people shot annoyed glares at him. Naruto grinned at them and continued on his way. He reached the bridge to find that Sasuke and Sakura along with Kakashi were already waiting. Naruto frowned he hadn't realized he'd taken so long.

"Dobe's, finally here" Sasuke announced but there was something in his voice that made Naruto curious. Naruto frowned and walked past the raven haired teen and straight to Kakashi's side. He hadn't been out of the village that much, and this mission bothered him more than he let on.

"Now that everyone's here we can go now" Kakashi said as he ushered the genin towards the village gates. Naruto walked on one side of Kakashi while Sasuke was on the other side, and Sakura was leading from the front. Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets, he was bored and they hadn't even left the village yet.

"Don't look so serious" Kakashi told Naruto jokingly, he knew his young student was still worried. He had hoped that maybe between Iruka and himself they could have alleviated it. Apparently that hadn't been the case.

Naruto shrugged before taking his hands out of his pockets and doing a front flip. He landed on his feet, before he took off running and done another one. Kakashi shook his head. Naruto was a kid of many moods. He hoped one day he would that would change, and he would be the smiling, happy child he pretended to be.

A few short minutes later they had past the village gates and had entered the forest. Naruto had now taken the lead and was continuing his hyperactive activities.

"Why did they not teach him to take care of himself?" Sasuke asked curiously while watching the blonde, throwing little rocks that he found along the way.

"They didn't want the responsibility for caring for him" Kakashi replied thinking about how painful Naruto's past truly was. "No one ever really wanted him around until Iruka took him in."

Sasuke frowned, sounded like Naruto had had a very lonely childhood, much the way he had. At least he'd had a chance to know his mother's love. He'd been taught the fundamentals of life, Naruto had somehow missed out on that but yet still had a vibrant personality. Sasuke wondered how much of it was an act. No one went through what he did and was still that cheerful.

"Please, Sasuke just be patient with him, he needs all the help he can get."

"It's going to take a miracle" Sasuke muttered before his thoughts turned back to his wayward brother. Kakashi rolled his eyes and took out his book.

A few hours later they had decided to break for dinner and while Kakashi was getting the fire good and ready. He had Sakura help Naruto with his speech.

Naruto was hesitant to sound out the words with Sakura right beside him, he didn't know why but he was a bit afraid, there would be a repeat of their earlier situation.

"Come on, Naruto, you're never going to learn if you don't try" Sakura huffed out impatiently. She had no idea why Kakashi thought this was a good idea, it wasn't. They'd been working for the past thirty minutes and he was still stuck on one word.

"You have to be patient, Sakura" Kakashi advised "It takes Naruto a longer time to learn it than it would someone else."

"Stupid" Naruto murmured looking away from Sakura. She frowned she wondered if he thought the work was stupid or that he thought he was stupid.

"You're not stupid" Kakashi said "You're just at a disadvantage right now. You will catch up if you work hard." Naruto heaved a sigh and turned back to Sakura. Sasuke watched them work silently. He approached Kakashi and muttered:

"His caregivers should have been punished."

"I couldn't agree more" Kakashi said "but they weren't so, we have to do the best with what we're given."

Sakura worked with Naruto a little while longer, somehow keeping patience. She was sorry she'd ever made those remarks earlier. She hadn't realized what his situation was really like. Now that she knew she felt bad for how she'd treated Naruto. Wasn't like he hadn't been treated badly enough and then she went and added to it. It's a wonder Naruto didn't hate her.

"He doesn't hate anybody" Kakashi said "he loves everyone despite everything, he'll be loyal friend if you'll only let him."

"How do you know so much about him?" Sakura asked as Sasuke took her place in working with Naruto.

"Because I'm friends with his guardian" Kakashi replied "I've helped with him quite a bit."

"I guess that's why it seems like he's rather attached to you" she mused. Kakashi chuckled, it did seem that way.

"I'm one of the few he trusts, he doesn't have many people who care about what happens to him in his life." Kakashi said. "I'm glad he trusts me there for a while it didn't look like I ever would earn his trust."

"Is it because he's been abused so much in the past?" Sakura wondered. Kakashi nodded. "His past has made things very difficult for him but he still works hard to protect those who don't like him." Sakura was even more ashamed to know how badly the village had treated him, yet he was willing to do whatever it took to protect the village.

"He has a lot of courage, to continue trying to be a ninja with his disabilities." Sakura commented.

"He does" Kakashi agreed "there is no doubt about that. He's been through a lot but he tries not to let it get him down. Occasionally he has his moments like you found out earlier."

"I'm sorry" Sakura said "If I had known anything about this, I wouldn't had said anything" she did look sad, and Kakashi hoped that from here on out they would be able to get along.

"Don't tell me that" Kakashi said "Tell him, he's the one who needs friends, who better than his teammates." Sakura rolled her eyes. Of course she planned on apologizing as soon as Sasuke was finished working with him. little did she know that that opportunity would not come.


	4. Chapter 4

He's lives in you

Chapter four

After the team had finished eating, Kakashi decided to hit the trail again. He didn't want to be too close to Konoha in case the Akatsuki where already nearing the village. He wondered briefly if Suna would be best place to take Naruto. He had the feeling they would be finding out. His plan for getting Sakura and Sasuke to help teach Naruto seemed to be working well; of course, this was just the first day too. Naruto still however, was obviously uncomfortable with them knowing about his past.

Kakashi sighed, this whole situation was so screwed up, but he was going to do his best to keep Naruto safe. Iruka's words echoed in his mind.

_"If you don't bring him home safely and something happens to him, I'll never forgive you. This is the only time Naruto has for a chance at happiness. He more than deserves it." _Kakashi couldn't agree more, but he was still worried about having Sasuke out here, knowing that his older brother was coming for Naruto. It was a problem he didn't really want to bother explaining. The situation would quickly become problematic if they ran into Itachi. He silently prayed to Kami that that wouldn't happen.

He frowned, his thoughts bothering him; this situation probably couldn't get much worse unless Itachi just happened to show up right where they were.

Sakura walked beside him, a troubled look on her face. Kakashi had a feeling she was thinking more about Naruto's problems than the reason they were given a mission out of the village. She still couldn't believe that Naruto was illiterate. Had she known she wouldn't have given Naruto such a hard time, he'd had a hard enough time with the rest of the villagers. It made her sad to know that Naruto had suffered needlessly at the hands of the people he had vowed he would always protect.

"Why are they so cruel towards Naruto, Sensei?" Sakura asked honestly curious. She couldn't imagine the people she loved being so needlessly cruel, when they were so nice and loving towards her.

"If by they; you mean the villagers, they don't understand Naruto, you see he's a little different from everyone else." Kakashi answered cautiously. He didn't want to give too much away since neither Sakura nor Sasuke knew what other secret Naruto held. It wouldn't be a good thing for the younger generation to know about nine tails; Naruto had suffered more than any one person should have. He was ashamed that he hadn't been their earlier so that he could have done something to protect Naruto.

"Just because your different doesn't mean that it's okay to hurt that person because of it." Sakura commented. Kakashi shrugged.

"We both know that, but the villagers don't seem to understand" they didn't understand that Naruto was human and not the demon he housed. He hated that Naruto had to experience the worst part of life. Iruka and himself were determined to change that. Hopefully from this moment on Sakura and Sasuke would help Naruto come to an understanding that his disabilities weren't his fault.

Sakura swallowed hard, wanting to rid herself of the guilt she felt for the things she'd done in the past. _The day was rainy, and a young Sakura was hurrying along with her parents. They were rushing along when Sakura saw a blonde haired kid about five years old standing in the middle of the street looking more than a little lost. He was soaked clear through his clothes that had so many holes in them that it didn't look like they were doing much good anyways. She remembered feeling annoyed at seeing him there, lost and lonely. Her eyes had met his and she was startled at how much pain was in his bright blue eyes. Sakura laughed as Ino passed by Naruto, and gave him a hard shove that landed the child on his knees in a mud puddle. He'd looked her with such sadness that she just turned away and raced to catch up with her parents. Leaving the boy in the cold rain, scared and alone, she hadn't cared that he didn't have a place to go to get out of the rain. She just knew that her parents didn't like him and neither did she. _

If Sakura had known then what she knew now, she would have tried to befriend the lonely child, everyone deserved a friend. Well, maybe she didn't not after that she mused. She really hadn't been nice to Naruto in their younger years. Sakura wondered what had made her so cruel towards him, when in reality Naruto hadn't done anything besides look at her. She supposed her parents were to blame for her earlier attitude towards him. She wondered why Naruto didn't hate her, especially after the way she had treated him.

"He should hate me" she muttered to Kakashi "I was really hateful towards him when we were younger."

"That's the best thing about Naruto" Kakashi stated "He forgives so easily. He's got a heart much bigger than most people's. He might be a little weary to be around you right now, but it's not because you treated him badly when he was younger. It's because he's uncomfortable with his lack of learning."

"None of that's his fault though" Sakura said thinking back to when she'd actually had classes with him. She had always thought it was odd that their teacher always ignored him and refused to allow him to sit in the classroom. Her heart ached for the boy who didn't know how to read or write or even speak. He was learning now but he'd had to live without those skills for so long. It wasn't fair that he should have had to go through so much for so long without someone taking proper care of him.

"He's not going to be lonely anymore" Sakura stated it was more than past time to stop thinking about herself so much and start helping those who were less fortunate.

Kakashi smiled. He was more than happy to hear that she would try to reach out to Naruto in his little land of loneliness. He deserved friends his own age, looked like it would finally happen. He sighed in contentment, things were going well so far, now if it would stay that way he'd be more than happy. He knew however, things probably wouldn't stay this easy, but he preferred to worry about that when that time came.

Naruto was still doing front flips along the trail. He was still feeling uncomfortable around his teammates. He couldn't understand why neither had actually made fun of him for it yet. Surely, they didn't care that he'd been abused for much of his life. It confused him that nothing malicious had been said or done towards him since they'd started their latest mission. That wasn't to say, that he wasn't happy about it. He wanted to rejoice at finally getting a little peace in his life. He had gotten tired of being treated like he was less than garbage. He wondered if he was finally getting the opportunity to make some friends. If he did he wondered if they'd still be friends when they returned to Konoha whenever that was. That thought depressed him and he frowned and stopped doing flips. He hoped it wasn't like that. He didn't think he could stand the pain if they turned their backs on him as soon as they got back.

As if sensing the direction Naruto's thoughts had taken. Sasuke approached, and gently shoved him off the trail.

"Dobe" he muttered broodingly. Naruto scowled automatically and called out:

"Teme!" Sasuke smirked before chuckling low in his throat. Maybe the dobe wasn't so bad after all.

"Is that all you have?" Sasuke taunted "I thought you wanted to be Hokage!" Naruto frowned, how was he supposed to respond to that? He thought for a moment trying to come up with a comeback in his limited vocabulary. Sasuke rolled his before muttering.

"Don't think so hard, your brain will melt" he chuckled to let Naruto know he was just joking. Naruto wondered briefly if this is what it was like to actually have a friend. He silently relished in the fact silently, unsure of how to put what he was feeling into words. He just hoped it wouldn't come back and make him feel stupid. He was going to trust that Kakashi knew what he was doing when he was immersing Naruto and his learning problems with his teammates.

Sighing, Naruto offered Sasuke a small smile. He wasn't sure exactly sure how else he should react. He supposed he should try not to react in a weird way. He just hoped they would understand when he didn't know how to react. He wasn't sure about the social aspect of having friends. He just hoped he was good enough for them, somehow he doubted that he was. After all, who wanted to be friends with someone who could barely talk and read and write? Naruto frowned, could he ever really be sure about what people truly thought about him? He felt fear grip his heart then, could he survive it if they were faking it? He didn't know. He was so unsure of how he was supposed to feel. He was so inexperienced with being social he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do or how to feel, for that matter.

"You're thinking too much" Sasuke murmured from somewhere to Naruto's right. "It's not as hard as you think it is. You're worrying far too much."

_Says the guy who wants to kill his brother_ Naruto thought. _But I guess he would know about being social, even if he's not the most social of people. _

Naruto shrugged, not knowing what to say so choosing not to say anything. He continued walking on in silence. Sasuke seemed to sense how uncomfortable Naruto was, decided to leave him to his thoughts. But he would be there if Naruto needed anything. He hoped that Naruto knew that. If only he'd known how ostracized Naruto had been when they were younger, maybe he could have done something. Still, if he was going to be friends with Naruto, he'd have to kill his brother first. He was an Avenger, so he would fulfill his destiny and then maybe if he was still alive. He could help Naruto more than he could now.

Naruto, feeling like something wasn't quite right, stopped in the trail, and then looked up into the trees above him. He couldn't explain it; he only knew that something felt seriously wrong. There was danger nearby and he didn't know how to vocalize it. Surely, Kakashi who was a Jounin, knew they were there. Still, it worried Naruto. He whimpered softly and looked back at Kakashi.

Kakashi having already sensed the danger, growled in frustration. It looked like the Akatsuki had found them already.

"Looks like we've got trouble" Kakashi said, hearing Naruto's small whimper. He knew the kid wasn't exactly afraid of what was coming; it was because he sensed the danger and didn't know how to express it.

"I know they're there, Naruto" Kakashi said sensing what Naruto was thinking. "Don't worry, I won't let them hurt you." though he knew Itachi was pretty powerful when he left and there was no telling how much he'd grown since then. He'd promised Iruka that Naruto was going to be okay, he wasn't going to back out on that promise now. He wasn't going to let them release nine tails; he was going to protect Naruto and their village. Somehow.

Naruto nodded slightly, glad that their Sensei had gotten his message with his lack of vocabulary Kakashi-sensei wouldn't let harm come to the team. Naruto turned back to where he sensed the danger was coming from. He reached for a Kunai blade. Wrapping his fingers around it, he pulled it out and held it in front of him. He doubted, however, that a kunai would be much help, if it was true about the chakra he sensed. It was more powerful than any he'd seen before. Sasuke sensing the same danger that he did stepped up beside Naruto. He didn't know how to explain it but the chakra he sensed was somehow familiar. He scowled; surely, it couldn't be his older brother, what would Itachi want with Naruto? Why was the kid that didn't know how to speak so important? He didn't know but he sensed whatever was going on was somehow centered on the young blonde dobe. Scowling even deeper, Sasuke was determined he would prove his fighting abilities against his brother.

"At all costs protect Naruto" Kakashi hissed at Sakura who nodded and went to stand beside Sasuke who was currently standing in front of Naruto. Naruto grunted in frustration, he didn't need to be protected. He might have learning disabilities didn't mean that he wasn't a good ninja. He always gave it his all, and never gave up. He had more determination than any other ninja that Kakashi knew. He may not have been full of talent. But his heart was bigger than any other's. Kakashi shook his head. He had to have a clear head for the battle that was too come especially if he hoped to get Naruto out of there alive and in one peace.

"Itachi" Kakashi growled knowing that Itachi was somewhere nearby. He could practically feel him. "It's not like you to play chicken, come out from wherever your hiding." Kakashi was the last to fall in line behind Naruto. Naruto scowled at him, not totally understanding why his team felt the need to surround him. It wasn't like he was a totally stupid ninja.

"You must know what I'm after Hatake" Itachi said dropping down from the tree that he had standing watch in.

"I won't turn it over that easily" Kakashi growled an eye on Sasuke who was standing frozen and glaring at his older brother. Kakashi wasn't all that surprised that Itachi was ignoring Sasuke and focusing on the object of his mission: Naruto.

"You think I can't just take him from you?" Itachi asked activating his Sharingan. Kakashi slid his headband up and activated his own Sharingan.

"I won't let you" Kakashi uttered as the battle between the two Sharingan owners began. Naruto watched silently, holding tight to his kunai. He watched Kakashi and Itachi fight. To him it seemed almost like it was a mystical dance, the way they parried back and forth. Naruto wondered how there could even be a clear winner in this fight.

Meanwhile, with Kakashi and Itachi fighting, Naruto sensed more danger from behind him. Itachi had not come alone, not that Naruto had expected him too. Apparently their mission was much more important than Kakashi had told them. Naruto scowled he wished their Sensei had been upfront with them about this mission. Something certainly wasn't right here; they didn't know everything that was needed.

Naruto gripped his Kunai tighter, as he sensed the chakra growing closer. He knew Kakashi would know that there were probably others but there wasn't anything he could do about it because Itachi was keeping him busy. Sasuke had joined in the fight against Itachi only a few minutes after Itachi had showed up. Leaving Sakura guarding Naruto, she was nervous she felt the same sense of danger that Naruto did. She just wasn't sure how she was supposed to do that. She was far from the strongest ninja among them.

"We should stick together" Sakura told Naruto calmly, though she felt far from calm. She knew they were up against an enemy that was far stronger than they were. Naruto grunted towards Sakura, understanding her fear of what was coming.

"If it isn't the ninja who is dumb" a shark looking ninja said approaching from behind Naruto and Sakura. "Who ever heard of a ninja who didn't know how to talk, how did you make it this far?" Naruto glared, he knew what the fish Nin was trying to do. Get him angry so he could make a mistake or better yet to release the power that he held within him. It dawned on him then what the Akatsuki were after. It was him. They wanted what was inside him. He wasn't exactly sure what that was, but he knew it was something. He could feel it. He never got sick or when he was beaten his wounds were never around long. He wasn't stupid whatever was inside him, the village knew about it. They must have, why else did they hate him so much?

"That's not fair" Sakura growled "It's not his fault; no one cared enough to teach him." Fish Nin smirked.

"Are you going to let the pink haired bitch do your work for you?" he asked Naruto. Who scowled at him, he wasn't going to let him talk to Sakura like that. He didn't need to be protected but he would make sure Sakura was safe one way or the other. He didn't need to be able to talk to do that.

"I'm Kisame Hoshigaki, and I'm here for the nine tailed beast." The shark look alike said. Naruto frowned he didn't know what beast he was talking about, but he didn't house it. Naruto stepped out in front of Sakura, holding his kunai out in front of him. He scowled as he watched Kisame bring out his sword Samehada.

"You'll be a fool to take on Samehada; he'll drain you of your chakra in just a few hits." Kisame said. Naruto didn't say anything, just continued to scowl.

"That's right don't say anything just stare at me" Kisame chuckled. He felt sorry for the ninja who was too stupid to not run away. Too stupid to know that he held a great power He was going to enjoy this fight, it was going to be easy, he doubted the village had even trained him enough so that he could properly defend himself.

Naruto scowled and kept his eyes on Kisame, monitoring his every movement.

"Naruto, I don't think we can even take him" Sakura said worried about the situation as another Nin joined Kisame. This had blonde hair that half covered his face. Both Sakura and Naruto jumped when some clay exploded close to them, driving them closer to Kisame.

"Damn" Sakura muttered as Naruto got hit with Samehada. He yelped rather loudly and Sakura grabbed a kunai and threw it at Kisame. He easily deflected it and Deidara threw another explosive, knocking both Sakura and Naruto off their feet.

While this was going on Kakashi and Sasuke were still engaged in the fight with Itachi. It wasn't going well for either of them. Kakashi was running dangerously low on chakra and it didn't look like Itachi was ready to give up anytime soon. He glanced over his shoulder at Naruto and Sakura and grimaced. The battle wasn't going too well for them either. Naruto had blood streaming from various wounds but none of them looked like they were real serious. Kakashi knew however that could quickly change. He grimaced when Sakura was thrown against a tree and knocked out, leaving Naruto wide open to attack from the other two missing Nin. Which meant trouble if Kakashi couldn't end this quickly.

Only a few short minutes later, Kakashi had reached the end of his chakra and could only watch as Kisame took a swipe at Naruto with Samehada at the same time that Deidara had thrown some explosives.

"Pain doesn't want him dead" Kisame grumbled at Deidara.

"He's not" Deidara said "But he won't be any trouble for us." Sure enough once the smoke had cleared, they found the Blonde unconscious and bleeding on the ground.

Kakashi dropped to his knees unable to continue any longer. He knew then that his mission had completely failed. His students were hurt and the one he was supposed to protect was in the hands of psychos. He watched as Itachi smirked and grabbed the blonde ninja and tossed him over his shoulder.

"See, Kakashi all I had to do was take him." Itachi signaled to the other two ninja's and they followed Itachi.

"Damn it" Kakashi yelled slamming his fist down onto the hard ground.

**Probably not the best chapter, cause I'm not that great with fight scenes but I hope this one was okay. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Liz**

**PS. The more reviews the faster the updates!**


	5. Chapter 5

He lives in you

Chapter 5

Kakashi stared at his hands. He should have known they would have been greatly overpowered. He should have expected Itachi to not be alone. It was his fault that Naruto was gone. Since his chakra was so low, there was nothing he could do about it without resting first. That pissed him off more than anything, knowing that Naruto was going to suffer at their hands while he was sitting on his ass. One thing was certain: Iruka was going to kill him.

"Naruto, just hold on" Kakashi pleaded "we're coming after you." he face planted onto the ground unable to hold himself any longer. He lay there barely conscious, for several minutes before his less injured student made his way over to him.

"Kakashi-Sensei, are you alright?" Sasuke asked kneeling down beside Kakashi.

"Low on chakra" Kakashi mumbled his mind still on what Naruto would probably soon be going through, if they couldn't get to him in time. "Naruto" Kakashi mumbled "we need to get Naruto." Sasuke froze and looked around as if noticing for the first time that the hyperactive blonde wasn't around.

"Where the hell is he?" Sasuke demanded annoyed that the blonde had disappeared at a rather convenient time.

"Your brother has him" Kakashi said, his voice low and weak. He was tired, he needed to rest. But he needed to get Naruto back safely first. Sasuke scowled the expression not unfamiliar to his face. He wondered what Itachi could possibly want with the blonde idiot. He had a feeling there was something that Kakashi wasn't saying.

"What's Itachi going to do with Naruto?" Sasuke asked thinking that perhaps Itachi wouldn't actually harm the dobe, just do experiments or something on him.

"Going to kill him" Kakashi mumbled shocking Sasuke and Sakura who had finally recovered enough to join Sasuke at Kakashi's side.

"Why would Itachi want to do that? It's not like the Dobe's done anything to deserve killing. Being stupid isn't against the law. " Sasuke commented as stood and helped get Kakashi to his feet. They were going to have to find someplace to let Kakashi rest; otherwise he'd be next to useless. Sasuke had a feeling they were going to need Kakashi at full power, and even then they probably wouldn't be anywhere near strong enough, to get Naruto back without help. Sasuke frowned, it was sounding like they needed to return to Konoha to get help.

"Don't have time for that" Kakashi mumbled when Sasuke mentioned it. "Every second we lose is one more closer to death for Naruto." Sasuke still didn't understand what his brother wanted with an illiterate child, he had the feeling it wasn't about teaching him to read. Then again Sasuke knew that Itachi would likely know everything about Naruto. His older brother was very meticulous with his information gathering. He would know absolutely everything to know about Naruto, where he lived what he ate his fighting abilities. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. The time was going to come when Kakashi would tell them everything but for now, they needed to get Kakashi moved. Somehow though, he knew his brother wouldn't be coming back to finish them off. It had never been about them but about Naruto the entire time.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke unsure of whether she should speak to him when it was more than obvious that he was in a bad mood. Who wouldn't be after getting their butts kicked and then having their teammate gets kidnapped by a powerful organization that they knew next to nothing about.

"Should we continue to Suna?" Sakura asked though she was more concerned about finding and retrieving Naruto.

"Probably" Sasuke said as he reached out to grab a hold of Kakashi. "We're closer to Suna than Konoha anyways." He didn't tell her however that he was worried about finding the trail for Naruto. There was no guarantee that he would be able to pick up his brother's trail, if they took Kakashi to Suna now. He was worried that Itachi would kill Naruto before they could get to him. He was also worried about why Itachi, his power hungry brother, wanted with him to begin with. He supposed worrying wasn't going to help either, but since he'd learned about Naruto's past. He didn't want the kid to hurt anymore then he already had. He must have been losing his mind, to have concerned himself with his teammate's wellbeing. He liked it better than when he knew nothing about him. Because then he could just focus on killing Itachi. Damn, Kakashi for making him consider Naruto's life. Naruto was just another idiot until Kakashi had told them about how Naruto had lived for the first 11 years of his life. Sasuke had always known that Naruto had spent most of his life being lonely, much like Sasuke had. But then it had been much worse than just loneliness for Naruto. He'd suffered through some pretty rough abuse, and still he smiled and longed to protect the people who refused him the opportunity to be human. Sasuke wondered how he done it, he'd never been treated as Naruto had but he still wasn't exactly willing to die for the village, at least not until he'd killed Itachi that is.

"We should go now" Sakura said interrupting Sasuke's thoughts, "The sooner we can get Kakashi to Suna the sooner we can catch up to your brother." Sakura wasn't stupid, she knew that at the time being Sasuke cared only about killing his brother even he acted like he cared about Naruto. She felt sorry for Naruto, knowing that he longed to actually have friends that cared about him. If Sasuke could get his head out of his ass maybe they could get him back. If Naruto knew that Sasuke was putting on a show to get Kakashi off of his back then he would probably be hurt. Probably wouldn't trust Sasuke ever again either. Sakura could see his bright blue eyes, wide with hurt and distrust. Her heart ached, knowing that Sasuke was only pretending to be his friend; she couldn't imagine what he would think if he ever found out, and if they ever got him back from Itachi.

"We're coming Naruto," Sakura said looking over her shoulder to look at the trail that Itachi had taken Naruto. She hoped they could get him back. She didn't want to admit it but she actually liked helping Naruto with his learning. It made her feel like she was actually doing something in the long run. Now, if only she could improve her ninja skills and not care what Sasuke thought about her, she knew he didn't care about her in the long run. That kind of hurt but she knew that he was too focused on the things he'd lost than the things he could gain but letting go of his yearning for revenge.

Helping Sasuke with Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke began their journey to Suna without their blonde haired teammate. Sasuke's thoughts were focused on finding his brother, in his own way he was worried about his teammate. His main concern was revenge. He needed to kill his brother, needed to know that he was strong enough to do just that. Naruto might prove to more than a little useful in this situation Sasuke mused. It might have been a good thing for Itachi to have taken him. It gave him the excuse he needed to go after his brother, Naruto just happened to be collateral damage.

A few hours later they dragged Kakashi into Suna and the nearest boarding room they could find. Sasuke stayed with Kakashi while Sakura went in search of food for the night. Kakashi was sound asleep in the bed, having gone straight to sleep as soon they'd gotten him into bed. Sasuke hoped that he recovered quickly; he was ready to go after Itachi. After all he was an Avenger; getting revenge was the only thing he cared about.

Sakura returned an hour later, with a few bags in her arm. Sasuke ignored her. Lost in thought with his plans that were quickly developing to go after his brother, Sakura scowled at him as she stored the little food she'd gotten. She could tell Sasuke was already making plans for when they found Itachi again. She felt sad, knowing Sasuke cared more about avenging his family then his own teammate. She shook her head, if Kakashi hadn't told her about what Naruto's life had been like up until this point; she probably would have gone on berating the boy for his lack social graces. She wished she had treated him better, but one way or the other, after this mess. She would make sure Naruto at least had a friend in her. She would do what she could for him, even if she was the only one.

Meanwhile with the Akatsuki

Naruto regained consciousness, in a cold dark cage. His hands and ankles were bound. Confusing him even more than he already was; why was he here? What did they want with him? Would he make it out of here alive?

"'ruka" Naruto mumbled wishing his guardian was with him. he was scared and Iruka was always there when he was scared. He remembered the first night he stayed with Iruka. When he'd had his nightmare, Iruka had spoken to him till he'd calmed down and was able to sleep again. Somehow, he knew there would be no way that Iruka would show up here. Though Naruto knew he would in a heartbeat if he knew what was going on. Iruka cared for Naruto more than any other person in Konoha. Naruto scowled and twisted his wrists but no matter how hard he tried he wasn't getting loose. He wondered why they even bothered tying him, when he was stuck in a cage that he couldn't get out of anyways. He had a feeling he didn't have long to wait, he could hear the sound of footsteps coming. Naruto scowled if he could get lose, he'd release all hell on whoever had stuck him here to begin with.

"Looks like we've got Dumbo" Kisame chuckled as he stopped at the cage with Itachi. Who watched him silently with such a calculating look that Naruto paused in his struggles.

"You can stop struggling you're not going to get loose." Itachi said before shaking his head. "It's sad what Konoha done to you" he commented as he opened the cage. "Too bad you're going to die because you could have probably have been a damn good ninja, if it hadn't been for the hand Konoha dealt you." Naruto scowled even harder, he needed to find a way out of here. Konoha might now like him very much but he wanted to go home. he wanted to be learning with Iruka again. He wanted to safe, not with these nutjobs who were threatening him.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Why you?" Itachi asked "It's because you have the nine tails sealed within you. It's the power we want, not you for you." Itachi explained. Naruto started against his bonds again, as Itachi approached him.

"'Kashi, and team come" Naruto said, glaring for all his worth, Itachi smirked and came closer.

"Do you really think your team cares?" Itachi asked. "My brother is probably figuring out how using you will best suit him to get to me." Naruto frowned. He wouldn't know about people's intentions. He'd thought Sasuke had been a little too friendly towards him. He wondered if Kakashi realized what Sasuke was up to. Hurt filled Naruto at the thought that Sasuke had only been using him for his plans and didn't really care if they were friends or not. Was Sakura the same he was? Was there anyone besides Kakashi and Iruka that actually cared? Probably not, the thought depressed Naruto more than anything. He wondered why he should even want to go back to Konoha, they hated him. Yet, he knew he would still give his life to protect them. He growled when Itachi got closer. He could feel the danger emanating from him. He watched wearily as Itachi's eyes started glowing red. He struggled but he found that he couldn't fight against the slow pull and his eyes drifted shut. He knew that was likely the last time he'd ever see anybody ever again. His last thought as he lost consciousness was Iruka and Kakashi.

Naruto regained consciousness in a place that had looked like a cave. He looked around him and attempted to move, but found that he couldn't move at all. He struggled but no matter how hard he fought he wasn't getting loose. He looked up above him at what looked like a huge stone wall, with what looked eye sockets. He stared wondering just exactly where he was. He barely noticed that there were several ninja with the black capes standing on what looked like hands. He groaned as the eye came fully open and he felt a tugging deep within him. He could literally feel nine tails being pulled out of him, and the pain was almost more than he could take. He cried out in agony as the pain grew worse. He knew then he would never see Konoha again or even live to see his dream of becoming Hokage come true.

"Sorry, Sensei," Naruto muttered "I failed, I let myself be captured and now I'm going to die, I'm sorry, I couldn't protect the village." Naruto closed his eyes and his outstretched arms fell limply to his side as one last sharp tug pulled nine tails free from his prison. His limp body fell to the floor with a thud.

**Is he dead? Or not find out in the next chapter. sorry it's a little shorter than usual but I have been working on this chapter with a headache. Remember the more reviews the faster the updates. **


	6. Chapter 6

He lives in you

Chapter 6

Two days later found Sakura pacing the floors to the room they were currently staying in. Kakashi was doing well and she figured they would be able to set out after Naruto in a few hours. That made her nervous because she wasn't sure what shape Naruto would be found in. would he be okay? Somehow Sakura doubted it; Sasuke's brother was dangerous. There could be no good reason why he wanted Naruto. Sakura bit her lip, she was more nervous than she was willing to admit. She was worried about Naruto and what Sasuke would do when they found him. It was no secret to her that Sasuke wanted his brother dead and he wouldn't care who he had to use to accomplish his goals. She wondered briefly how she could ever have thought someone so vain and selfish could be worth her time. Of course, she was only 12 so she couldn't totally be blamed for feeling that way about him. Shaking her head, Sakura cleared her thoughts. They needed to focus on getting Kakashi better so that they could go after Naruto. She wondered how Naruto was doing, she hoped he was hanging on, hoped that he knew that his team would come for him. Some for the right reasons and some for reason of their own, but they were still coming.

"Would you stop pacing?" Sasuke growled annoyed at Sakura. She'd been pacing for the past half hour and it was driving him nuts. He'd needed to be able to think if he was going to catch up to his brother again.

"I can't help it" Sakura growled back "I'm worried about the upcoming fight."

"If there is one" Sasuke said he wasn't sure that Itachi wouldn't just kill Naruto and dump him somewhere. He growled low in his throat. He wanted so badly to make Itachi pay for the crimes he'd committed, he could feel anxious energy running through him. He was more than ready to go though. He knew he wasn't likely to strong enough to take Itachi on.

"You mean you think Itachi's going to kill Naruto and leave his body somewhere?" Sakura asked, pausing her movements.

"Yes" Sasuke answered "Naruto has no sentimental value to him, so why should it bother him to just dump what's left of Naruto."

"That's just sad" Sakura muttered her heart hurting for Naruto. If he did die he deserved more than just being dumped somewhere. She hoped they could reach him in time. She didn't want Naruto to die, she wanted him to live and have friends and be accepted as a person and not just an orphan.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. It was true though Itachi didn't care about anyone or anything expect for Sasuke getting stronger. That puzzled Sasuke. Why did Itachi care so much that he gets stronger to fight him. One thing was certain though, Sasuke didn't mind getting stronger. He wanted to kill Itachi for what he had done to their family.

"Is revenge the only thing you care about?" Sakura asked noticing the look in Sasuke's eyes. He was determined and she knew he was thinking about killing Itachi again.

"Yes" Sasuke answered her question, turning to look at her. "Nothing or anyone will get in my way."

"So, Naruto really doesn't mean anything to you?" Sakura asked glad that Naruto wasn't here to hear this conversation.

"No, he's just a means to an end. Besides he's stupid." Sasuke replied turning his back to her so he wouldn't have to see the look in her eyes.

"That's not his fault" Sakura protested "It's the villages!"

"And you don't think that maybe there was a reason for that?" Sasuke asked "Maybe they have a reason for not wanting Naruto there?" Sakura glared at Sasuke. She couldn't believe she was hearing this. She knew Sasuke didn't really care about anyone but himself and this made her want to run as far away as possible from him.

"You really are heartless" she growled before turning her back on him and checking on Kakashi.

"Never pretended to be otherwise" Sasuke muttered irritated beyond words. He didn't have any friends, didn't want any. But the condescending tone in her voice bugged him. He scowled and looked over to where Kakashi was sitting up and reading Make out Paradise. He turned back to the window he was looking out of and crossed his arms across his chest. He was ready to go whether or not his other teammates were. He wanted this stronghold that his brother held over him to end; he wanted to be able to focus on restoring his clan. Until Itachi was dead however, reviving the clan was a moot point.

"Don't you care that you're teammates probably hurt or worse by now?" Sakura, tears shining in her eyes, Sasuke was unbelievable.

"No, the only thing that matters is killing Itachi for slaughtering our family." Sasuke said his voice deadly cold. "Naruto, in the long run doesn't matter."

"Would you want your team to come after you if you were in Naruto's place?" Sakura though she had a feeling she knew the answer.

"Wouldn't matter" He sneered "I could get myself out; I wouldn't need for my teammates to come after me." Sakura glared at him but didn't reply. She was learning things about Sasuke that she never thought that she could. It made her sick to her stomach to realize just how cold that he was.

"Whatever" Sakura muttered and turned back to Kakashi who was watching the ongoing scene with increasing interest. Things were pretty rough before Itachi had attacked looks like they'd only gotten worse.

"Will we be able to leave soon?" Sakura asked him she wanted to go after Naruto before the trail went cold.

"Yes, I'm still not at full strength but I don't want to leave Naruto with Itachi much longer. I don't know how long the whole process takes." Kakashi muttered. He was more worried about Naruto than he could admit, not only that but he was worried about what Iruka would think if he knew of what was going on right now. He would probably hate him Kakashi sighed. A bad situation was bound to get worse if he didn't go after Naruto now. He didn't want the kid to die; he cared far too much for that. He wanted Naruto to become the Hokage that he dreamed of being. Now if they could only get him back.

"We don't need a weak leader if we're going against Itachi again" Sasuke said from where he was standing at the window. He turned around and stared at Kakashi. "You couldn't even take them on when you were at full strength, what makes you think you can take them on again?"

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve" Kakashi said eyeing Sasuke. Sasuke had always pretty remote but this was just ridiculous. He could feel the coldness dripping off of him. Did he truly not care about his teammate? "Chalk that fight up to a learning experience, there's things about me that you don't know about!"

"Whatever" Sasuke muttered rolling his eyes and turning back to the window. He was more than ready to go, he wanted to put an end to Itachi and his misery. Maybe that goal wasn't so far from being accomplished.

"Don't kid yourself Sasuke" Kakashi said quite seriously "You are nowhere near ready to be able to take Itachi on. If you try now the only thing you will accomplish is your death!"

"That's better than doing nothing!" Sasuke snapped instantly irritated at his team leader. He knew he wasn't ready to take on Itachi but it irritated the hell out of him that Kakashi had called him on it.

"Besides" Kakashi said "Right now there are more important things to accomplish than killing your brother, like say, saving your teammate!"

"For the last time" Sasuke said from between clenched teeth, anger brightening his eyes. "I. DO. NOT. CARE!"

"That's just sad; did you not learn anything from the survival test?" Kakashi asked. "Those who break the rules are trash but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash!" Sasuke snorted.

"He's nothing but my rival and he is not even that great of a rival!" Kakashi shook his head. How had he gotten stuck with the last Uchiha was beyond him. Sasuke showed about as much emotion as a clam.

"Well then I guess you're going to be pretty useless as a team member then because you're going to have to rely on your teammates occasionally." Kakashi growled frustrated that no leeway had been made with him. He was supposed to be able to get him off of this revenge track, wasn't working so far.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked out the door. He knew he should be thinking about his teammates right now, but he couldn't quit living in the past. Couldn't quit remembering the things he had lost. Sakura and Kakashi couldn't understand what that was like. The only one who even came remotely close was Naruto. Even then that stretching it because Naruto couldn't even remember his family, and the village didn't exactly step in and raise him like they should have. Sasuke snorted, Naruto was likely to die on this mission and the village wouldn't give a damn. Why should he? It wasn't like Naruto was the Hokage's son or anything. Why should he have to care about anyone when everyone he cared about left him. If he let himself feel anything for his teammates, then Itachi would find a way to take them from him too, in fact he was already starting on it. Sasuke hated being so cruel but it was the only way that he could insure that he would be strong enough to take on his brother. Until the day that Itachi was dead and gone it would be best for his team to go on hating him, and thinking that he was heartless. He wasn't really but he couldn't let them know that; he couldn't afford it.

A few hours later they sat out on their journey to get their teammate. Sakura was pointedly ignoring Sasuke; trapped in her own worry about Naruto. She wondered how he was doing, if he was still alive. She prayed that he was, she was only just starting to get to know him. _Hang on buddy we're coming for you even if Sasuke doesn't care, I do_ Sakura thought.

"Do you know where they're going?" Sakura asked Kakashi.

"I have an idea, I know a little more about Itachi and his group of scoundrels, word has it they're in sound, so that's where we are going." Kakashi said, noting that Sasuke hadn't spoken one word since they had left. Kakashi wondered what was going through his mind. Probably nothing but thoughts of getting his vengeance. Kakashi heaved a sigh, something was going to have to change and soon.

A week later despite the haste they had made, they reached the Sound Village. Sasuke was practically pulsing with energy, he was ready to find the hideout, and he wanted to be done with this once and for all. He was ready for some peace of mind once and for all. He heard Kakashi and Sakura talking quietly, and he tried to ignore them. He needed to know what was going on but at the same time he needed to be mentally prepared for what was to come.

"Sasuke" Kakashi growled he was really getting tired of his genin's superior attitude. "You need to know what's going on incase they are still there." He had his doubts though. It had been a week and that should have been plenty of time to extract nine tails. If that had happened there would be nothing left to find of Naruto except his lifeless shell. Kakashi didn't think that he wanted to stumble upon that scene. He'd known Naruto longer than any of his other students and not that he cared more, but knowing what Naruto had been through it made Kakashi want to somehow make up for the years of abuse and neglect. Surely, that didn't mean that he chose one student over the rest of him because he didn't he just thought that Naruto deserved a shot at being loved.

"You need to pay attention" Kakashi snapped at him "I don't know what to expect at this point, they might be there they might already be gone, I don't know."

"Don't you think we should be waiting for back up?" Sasuke asked though the thought annoyed him. He wanted to go after his brother now and do the rest of the planet some good and get rid of his brother once and for all.

"Naruto doesn't have time for that" Kakashi said and refused to say more. They didn't need to know about nine tails right now. Not when his life was hanging on the line and they maybe didn't have any time to save him.

"Why doesn't he have time?" Sasuke demanded "Why did my brother even want him?"

"I'm not allowed to answer that" Kakashi said annoyed. They weren't far from Orchimaru's hideout. He could somehow sense it. he felt the remnants of chakra, but the thing that worried him was the fact that he couldn't feel anything from Naruto's; which meant that Naruto had been moved or he was already dead, he hoped to hell that Naruto had been moved.

"I don't sense any chakra about the place but that doesn't mean it's not being hidden, so be careful and stick close." Kakashi ordered knowing that Sasuke wanted to separate and go find his brother. Kakashi sincerely hoped they were gone, so they could get Sasuke away.

Sasuke glared at Kakashi but didn't say anything as he fell into line behind Kakashi and Sakura as they headed towards the entrance of what looked like a cave. Kakashi pushed his headband up uncovering his Sharingan. He was prepared to fight off several guards but when he stepped inside. He was surprised to find nobody there. He swallowed hard as he realized the possible implications of this. He took a deep breath and urged Sasuke and Sakura forward. He didn't want them to find their teammate if what he suspected was true but what else could he do?

They explored several tunnels leading to rooms where Orchimaru had done his testing and experiments. The longer they searched the angrier Sasuke grew. It was more than obvious that nobody was here, that Naruto wasn't there.

After searching another room that was empty, Sasuke stopped and glared at Kakashi.

"Can we go now" he snapped "It's more than obvious that their not here, and that they haven't been for sometime." Kakashi shook his head and exited the room there was only one more place they could check.

Sasuke growled again under his breath, but followed Kakashi into the other room. Glancing around him, he stared. It was a giant cavern with stones that looked like giant hands. Giant holes were in the back wall, oddly enough looked like giant eyes. Hearing a shocked gasp, Sasuke turned towards Sakura. She was looking into the middle of the room. Sasuke turned towards the room and frowned. His blonde teammate lay limply amongst the rocks.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out racing to her blonde teammates side. Tears filled her eyes as she stared down into Naruto's pale face. She placed her fingers on his neck. Not surprisingly she didn't feel anything. She bowed her head and laid it on Naruto's still chest, sobbing loudly. Kakashi stood beside her with his eyes closed, back rigid. He couldn't believe this was happening but he should have known though, by the way the hideout was empty he should have known. Iruka would kill him when he found out, if the guilt didn't get to him first.

"I'm sorry Naruto" Kakashi said kneeling down and gently wiped his hair away from his eyes. He didn't know how he would get used to life without the blonde vibrant boy. "I wish I could change things for you" Kakashi said softly. Sasuke approached silently. He stopped and stared, unsure of how he was supposed to feel. He had known that his brother was likely to kill Naruto, and now that it was done he could feel a small stab of pain breaking through the icy tendrils that was wrapped around his heart. He closed his eyes, to try to push the pain away and make his heart into stone again. He couldn't afford these emotions; he needed to be strong to take on his brother. When he opened his eyes again, he was surprised to find that his Sharingan was activated. He looked at Naruto and noticed the chakra steams were almost closed but not quite all the way, and Naruto's heart was still beating. Not by much, but enough for Sasuke to know that Naruto was still alive.

Sorry guys I meant to post earlier but had to deal with a tornado coming rather close to where I was. Thank god things turned out okay, but this chapter was just a tad late. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Liz


	7. Chapter 7

He lives in you

Chapter 7

Sasuke stared down at his teammate in shock. He was still alive but apparently he shouldn't have been. He swallowed hard and moved closer to Naruto and kneeled down and placed his finger on Naruto's throat. He didn't understand why he couldn't feel a pulse but his heart was barely beating.

"He's not dead" Sasuke said "At least not yet anyways." Sakura looked tears in her bright green eyes.

"Yes, he is asshole. Besides why do you even care it's not like you wanted to be friends with him?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Sakura got on his nerves even more than Naruto did. Sasuke raised his eyes and stared at her. "My Sharingan is activated" he growled "I can see his heart beating but it's very slow, and it looks like it took a lot of damage with whatever happened here. Naruto's skin was practically flawless with no marks on so Sasuke didn't understand what had put him in this condition. He turned towards Kakashi.

"Use your eye Sensei; you will see what I am talking about." Sasuke said wondering when his team members had become so obstinate. Sasuke wondered if Naruto had enough time to make it back to Konoha considering the way his organs were barely functioning. He watched silently while Kakashi turning his Sharingan on and found out the truth for himself.

"Sasuke's right" Kakashi muttered bending down and picking the barely alive ninja up. Sliding him over his back, Kakashi gripped Naruto tightly before turning to his other students.

"We have to hurry back, Naruto won't last much longer, he's very sick as it is." Sakura nodded and the three of them turned and headed for the exit. Sasuke wasn't happy that he couldn't make Itachi pay for his sins. He didn't think Naruto would make it back to the village but he wasn't about to mention that to Sakura. His organs were very badly damaged; it was almost as if he'd had something pulled out of him. That thought puzzled Sasuke, he wondered not for the first, why Naruto had been taken in the first place. What purpose did he serve for Itachi? Because if he didn't serve some kind of purpose Itachi would have left him alone.

"Sasuke come on" He heard Sakura yell impatiently, he knew she was eager to find out what was going on with Naruto. He sighed knowing he would have to put his revenge off for another day.

"Damn you Itachi" he muttered before turning and following Sakura out of the cave. He followed behind Kakashi and Sakura silently, his eyes remaining on Kakashi's back, to wait for some sudden change in Naruto's condition. The kid had looked pretty bad, Sasuke could admit to that. He may not necessarily like Naruto, but it wasn't like he wanted the kid to die. He didn't, he just wanted to get his revenge. Being friends with anyone kind of got in the way.

"Hang on Naruto" Kakashi hissed quietly as he raced through the jungle with the injured Ninja on his back. "We're going to get you back to Konoha on time, just keep fighting for me." It was only a few short minutes later that he felt a sticky hot substance run down the front of his uniform. Glancing down, Kakashi stared in horror: blood was coating his front. Naruto had just taken a turn for the worse.

"Hurry up" Kakashi hollered to the two ninja's following behind him. "We need to really speed things up."

"How's Naruto doing?" Sakura asked coming up beside him.

"He's critical." Kakashi replied hoping the kid had the strength to make it back to Konoha; at this point he wasn't sure that he would. Not if he kept expelling blood at the rate that he was.

"Will he make it back to the Village?" Sakura asked more subdued than before.

"I don't know" Kakashi replied "I just don't know." The thought made his heart ache. Naruto had already lived through enough pain for one life time. Why should he have to give his life like this, for people who didn't care enough about him to begin with? Kakashi heaved a sigh and turned his head to the side. He'd never thought of blood having a smell before, but now that he was covered with it, he wanted to get sick.

The gates of the village had just come in sight, when Kakashi felt more blood gush over his shoulder. His heart ached knowing that whatever Naruto was dealing with right now, was excruciating. He had the feeling Iruka was going to kill him for letting this happen. Though Kakashi didn't really know how he could he blamed, he had done everything he could to get to Naruto in time. He just hoped that it his actions would ultimately prove good enough. He couldn't think of a life without the gentle, unassuming severely delayed ninja. Kakashi tightened his grip on Naruto and started running a little faster. Naruto wasn't going to suffer any more if he had anything to say about it.

He rushed through the gates mindless of whether or not his other students were right behind him. At that moment it time there was only one life that truly mattered, and it was that of the student on his back. He rushed through the streets of Konoha ignoring the stares of the citizens as he raced past them. He could hear them whispering but he didn't care, he was going to make sure that Naruto lived to see another day.

He reached the hospital doors, only moments later; he rushed through and headed straight for the ER.

"I need help" Kakashi called out as he gently lowered a dry heaving Naruto to the floor. Kakashi wasn't sure what was causing the hemorrhaging but he knew it was bad, especially if Naruto continued the way he was.

Several nurses rushed over though it was more than clear that it was more than a little reluctantly. Kakashi glared at them, knowing they would first try to refuse treatment, but he wasn't going to let that happen.

"If it's the tailed beast your worried about" Kakashi hissed "It's not in him anymore, so you can't refuse to treat him!" he could sense their fear fade as he explained what had happened, he doubted they would ever not to not totally afraid, but he didn't care. He needed to get Naruto seen and fast.

"Do something for him before I go and get the Hokage!" Kakashi continued glaring until he watched as Naruto disappeared behind closed doors. He turned to see Sakura, watching what was going on. He hadn't thought she would follow him all the way here. He was even more surprised to see Sasuke standing there trying to not look concerned. Inwardly Kakashi smirked; he had known no matter how unaffected Sasuke acted, he did care about what happened to Naruto.

"What now?" Sakura asked from where she had sat down.

"We wait" Kakashi replied, sitting in the hard plastic chair across from Sakura and Sasuke.

What seemed like hours later the doctor came out to talk to Kakashi and Kakashi could tell it wasn't good news.

"His organs are shutting down, they are very badly damaged and along with his internal bleeding, it makes everything worse. We were able to fix the internal bleeding, but so far we haven't been able to touch the physical damage to his organs, whoever done this to him, somehow messed his system up pretty badly." Kakashi frowned; he had Itachi to thank for this current situation.

"So is he still with us?" Kakashi asked lowly so that Sakura and Sasuke couldn't hear him, that was the last thing he wanted them to overhear.

"He's on life support." The doctor replied "all we can do for him right now is make him comfortable. I can't promise that he'll live through the night, in fact I would be very surprised if he did."

_ Great _Kakashi thought _How am I going to explain this to Iruka?_

Sorry it took forever to update, I'm just finished writing a book and have been getting it prepped to self publish. Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy.


	8. Chapter 8

He lives in you

Chapter 8

Sakura stared down at her hands, as she listened to what the doctors had to say about Naruto. Her heart clinched when the doctor said he didn't expect Naruto to make it through the night. Tears filled her eyes, she hadn't known Naruto all that long, but she didn't wish this on him. Naruto was a gentle, sweet kid. If only there was a way she could take places with him. She deserved it for being ignorant of Naruto's circumstances.

She swallowed hard, pushing down the bile that was trying to rise. Sakura wished the doctor would stop talking so they could go see Naruto now, if this would be Naruto's last moments than he deserved to have company for it. Naruto had spent too much of his life alone as it was, Sakura wasn't about to let it end alone. She looked over at Sasuke who was leaning against the wall, listening intently to what the doctors were telling Kakashi. Sakura couldn't tell if any of it was bothering him or not.

After a few more minutes Kakashi returned to where Sakura was sitting, she hated the grim look on his face.

"Can we go see him now?" Sakura asked, fighting to keep her tears at bay. Kakashi nodded and she stood and followed Kakashi down the hall to the critical care unit.

Sasuke followed silently, still puzzled about how things had gotten this bad, this quickly. He didn't understand why any of this was happening and why his brother was involved. Why did Itachi do this? He wondered into Naruto's cubical behind Sakura and Kakashi. He was shocked to see Naruto hooked up to several machines, a tube was forced down his throat helping him breath. Electrodes were taped to Naruto's bare heaving chest, measuring his slow heartbeats. Sasuke scowled at the machine, knowing that the slower Naruto's heart got, the closer to death that his teammate was.

"Naruto" Sakura cried out at seeing him so pale, and still. Naruto had been a little quite when he had first met Sakura and Sasuke, once he'd gotten to know them a little; his true personality had started to show. So it was unnatural to see Naruto so still at a moment like this. It hurt her to see him struggling for breath; she wished she could ease his pain. If he had to die, she hoped it would be soon so that Naruto wouldn't continue suffering.

Reaching over she took Naruto's hand in hers, she squeezed it. Wishing that he could move his fingers, do something to let her know that he was still in there fighting to live.

"I'm sorry" she said quietly, a tear dripping down her face. "I wish we could have gotten there sooner, better yet we should have been able to prevent it to begin with." Sakura sat down in the chair beside the bed and gripped Naruto's hand.

"If you must go, you're not going to be alone!" A sob tore its way out of Sakura's throat and she closed her eyes. She wished she had gotten to know Naruto much earlier; she hated knowing that Naruto was leaving this planet with only painful, tormenting memories. He should have had memories of being loved and cherished; instead he only had hatred and terror. She would never forgive herself for ignoring Naruto all those years.

Kakashi watched his students, standing guard over Naruto. He was pleased to know that they both had finally come to accept Naruto, even the stoic Sasuke who acted like he didn't care, was concerned. He hated though that it took as long as it had for Naruto to finally find some true friends. He hated that Naruto was in this position at all. He watched Naruto for a few more minutes before stepping out in the hall to talk with the worried Iruka whom had arrived.

"How is he?" Iruka asked his concern etched in his face.

"He's very bad" Kakashi said unsure of how to proceed. He knew Iruka loved Naruto like the brother he'd never had.

"How bad is very bad?" Iruka asked slowly, though from the look on Kakashi's face, he knew it was even worse than he thought.

"They don't think he's going to make it through the night!" Kakashi closed his eyes so he wouldn't see the pained expression on Iruka's face. He knew it would hurt the younger man badly; he hadn't wanted to be the one to do it.

"No," Iruka moaned, heart feeling like it was going to spontaneously combust from the pain he was feeling. "No. not Naruto he doesn't deserve for this to happen." Iruka feel to his knees, his hands folded into fists.

"He has to live" Iruka cried, tears filling his face "He can't die. He still has so much to live for!" Kakashi's heart broke listening, and he kneeled down beside his friend. "I'm so sorry, it's my fault, I didn't try hard enough!"

Iruka looked up at him through tear filled eyes. "You're right, it is your fault! You promised me he would be alright!" Kakashi felt the sting of Iruka's words right through his heart. He knew Iruka was upset; his pain was causing him to say this things. But he still agreed with Iruka, he hadn't tried hard enough.

Unbeknownst to the two Ninja's in the hallway, Sasuke was standing just in the doorway listening. The pain he heard in Iruka's voice made him want to kill Itachi even more. Itachi was still hurting those he'd slowly come to care about. Swallowing hard, Sasuke looked over his shoulder at Sakura who was still quietly talking to Naruto. He exited the room, knowing that Naruto was in good hands for the time being, he was going to do something to help the helpless boy, slowly dying in the hospital.

Kakashi watched as Sasuke left the room and started towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm going to find a way to save Naruto." He replied before disappearing from sight.

**This chapter just about broke my heart writing, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	9. Chapter 9

He lives in you

Chapter 9

After Sasuke left, Iruka somehow found the strength to get back to his feet. He needed to see Naruto, to know that he was still fighting. Iruka had seen Naruto come through some of the worse abuse imaginable. He didn't think surviving this was going to be too hard, but then again, Iruka hadn't seen Naruto, hadn't seen the damage the extraction had caused. Iruka wasn't too clear on exactly what had happened but he figured he could have beat the truth out of Kakashi, but first things first he needed to see Naruto.

Taking a deep breath, Iruka mentally prepared himself for what he would see. He knew it wasn't going to be easy but it needed to be done. Naruto needed to know he had a reason to keep fighting.

After steeling himself for what was to come, Iruka stepped into Naruto's room, as soon Iruka's eyes landed on Naruto's still form. Iruka's stomach rolled violently and he made a dash towards the trash can in the corner. He heaved what he'd eaten that day into the receptacle. It was much worse than he had thought it would be. He had known Naruto probably wouldn't be conscious, but Naruto not even able to breathe on his own, his chest heaving as he struggled to take in air. Gave testament to the real fight Naruto was facing. Iruka wanted to murder Kakashi; he wasn't supposed to have brought Naruto back in this condition.

Tears welled in Iruka's eyes as he wiped at his mouth with a napkin that Kakashi had handed him. Taking another deep breath, Iruka crossed the room. Staring down at Naruto's unconscious form, Iruka could only face his worst nightmare. This wasn't how he'd wanted things to be for Naruto. He'd wanted so much more, he'd wanted for Naruto to get past his disabilities so that he was on the same level as his teammates. Iruka blinked back more tears before reaching out and grabbing Naruto's hand.

"Please, Naruto, just hang on!" Iruka pleaded "I know it's hard and your hurting right now, but please keep fighting, we're doing everything we can to find a way to fix this." _Or is it because you're too selfish to let him go? You can plainly see he's suffering_. A small voice said in Iruka's mind. he shook his head to clear that thought, if he really thought that dying was the best thing for Naruto, then he would let him go without a fight. At the time being, Iruka thought they could make him better again.

"Keep fighting for me please" Iruka repeated as he watched Naruto struggling to breath, even though he was intubated. Iruka hated seeing him like that; it wasn't like Naruto hadn't suffered enough in his twelve years as it was. He didn't deserve for this to be happening now, why couldn't people understand he was just a little boy who wanted to be loved. Iruka loved him more than life itself, but Naruto deserved to have more than just a few people care about him.

Sighing, Iruka wiped away the tears that started drifting down his face again. His heart was breaking even more the longer he sat beside the helpless boy. He hoped Naruto could once again defy the odds like he'd had so many times before.

"I should have been there then maybe this wouldn't have happened" Iruka murmured. To be honest even if he had been there he didn't think there was anything he could have done to prevent it, as much as he wished that he could have.

"Do you think Naruto can beat this?" Sakura asked after a few minutes of watching Iruka with Naruto.

"I don't know, Sakura" Iruka answered as honestly as he could. "I've never seen him this bad before." Of course, Naruto had the nine tails healing capabilities before. Without nine tails Iruka didn't think Naruto really stood a chance at making it.

He hated to doubt Naruto but he had to face the facts that stood out more starkly the longer he was in the room. Naruto was critically injured, his organs were very badly damaged, it was a miracle he was even still living at the moment. He didn't think there was a medic alive that heal the damage that had been caused by the extraction.

"Naruto's survived the worst possible abuse" Sakura said "only to die like this, it doesn't seem fair."

"I know" Iruka said "if there was a way I could take his place, I would. Konoha needs more ninja's like him." even as he spoke a thought formed in his mind. Could it be possible that there was a jutsu that would allow him to trade places with Naruto? If it was possible, Iruka would gladly take Naruto's place. He knew that Kakashi would take over the care of Naruto if Iruka wasn't around to do it. Despite the fact that Iruka blamed Kakashi for this mess they were in now, it wasn't really his fault. He hadn't expected to be ambushed by those guys.

"Even if it was possible" Sakura said softly "Naruto wouldn't want you to switch places with him."

"I know" Iruka said "he doesn't think his life is worth trade mine for, it's because of the village damaged him emotionally, and mentally making him think he wasn't worth anything. Besides I don't care I would rather that Naruto be alive and not in this condition." It hurt Iruka to watch Naruto struggling to pull in his next breath. He'd prefer watching it come and go with ease and he was going to ensure that it happened, one way or the other.

"Sakura can you promise me that no matter what you will help Naruto with his learning?" Iruka asked.

"Of course" Sakura said "but why won't you be around to do it?"

"Because I'm going to make sure he lives" Iruka answered before turning and walking out of the room.

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! Liz**


End file.
